VERNON – The Vernon campus of Okanagan College will be receiving a new trades training centre thanks to a recently announced $6.21 million investment from both the Provincial and Federal governments.
The funding will support the construction of a new 1,250 square-metre (13,450 square-foot) Trades Training Centre, which will address a shortage of available trades training shops in the region by providing a purpose-built space at the Okanagan College Vernon campus.
The new building will include multipurpose trades shops and supporting space, a dedicated welding shop and multi-use trade space for the electrical, carpentry, plumbing and pipefitting programs, as well as Aboriginal and Women in Trades Training programs. It will also provide on-campus training capacity for approximately 150 trades students, compared to the existing off-site leased trades facility that supports approximately 108 students per year.
Federal-provincial funding for this project includes:
- $2.66 million from the Government of Canada; and
- $2.88 million from the Province of British Columbia.
- Okanagan College will contribute $670,000 to the project.
Construction is expected to get underway shortly with completion by spring 2018. The new building will be built to LEED Gold certification and construction is expected to create 25 direct and 13 indirect jobs for the region.
With four campuses throughout BC, Okanagan College enrols over 20,000 students annually and offers a wide range of programs including trades training, technical certifications, university transfer courses, diploma and degree programs.