More than two dozen Okanagan College programs eligible for StrongerBC future skills grant
July 20, 2026
When Omar Algiasena enrolled in Geographic Information Systems (GIS) studies through InspirED Continuing Studies and Corporate Training at Okanagan College, he was looking to take his interest in digital mapping and turn it into a career. He did just that, demonstrating how education can open doors and why programs like the StrongerBC future skills grant matter for learners looking to build skills, advance their careers or transition into growing industries. The Province of B.C.’s StrongerBC future skills grant is helping Brit...
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Where food and music meet: UNESCO designation creates opportunities to showcase the Okanagan on a national stage
July 20, 2026
Great food and great music have a way of bringing people together – so it only makes sense for the two Canadian cities that hold UNESCO designations in gastronomy and music to strike up a partnership.Kelowna, which was recently named Canada’s first UNESCO Creative City in Gastronomy, is collaborating with London, Ontario – Canada’s only UNESCO Creative City in Music, to promote cultural exchange and celebrate the unique strengths of both communities.“One of the most exciting aspects of joining UNESCO's Creative Cities...
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Okanagan College student finds her voice through visual art
July 16, 2026
Mariah Matthews didn't set out to become a visual artist.For years, words were her medium of choice. She wrote fiction and poetry, drawn to stories that explored resilience, identity and the complexity of human experience. Then, during a difficult period in her life, she found herself with an itch to create something with her hands.That’s when she started to explore items like plaster, collage and even… chicken wire.Today, the Okanagan College (OC) Associate of Arts student creates powerful sculptures and collages that invite viewer...
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Okanagan College becomes the first B.C. post-secondary institution certified for B-Pressure welder testing
July 15, 2026
For Okanagan College alum Jimmy Appel, and other journeyperson welders and welding apprentices in B.C. who work in Alberta, a drive across the provincial border for B-Pressure initial certification or recertification testing may soon be a thing of the past. On June 26, Okanagan College became the first post-secondary institution in British Columbia to be certified by the Alberta Boilers Safety Association (ABSA) to conduct B-Pressure welder testing. B-Pressure certification is one of the most sought-after credentials in Alberta’s we...
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New health care training programs at Okanagan College to strengthen B.C.'s laboratory workforce
July 13, 2026
The Province of B.C. invests $1.5 million to launch Medical Laboratory Technologist and Medical Laboratory Assistant programs at OC, making it easier for Interior region students to choose health care careers close to home. More students in the Okanagan will soon have access to training for in-demand careers in health care thanks to a $1.5 million investment from the Province of British Columbia to support the launch of new Medical Laboratory Technologist (MLT) and Medical Laboratory Assistant (MLA) programs...
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Okanagan College alumna aims for a career at the intersection of sport and health care
July 9, 2026
Morgan Taylor has known since she was a little girl that she was meant to help people — she just needed to figure out exactly what that looked like for her. Drawn to health care and sport, Taylor hemmed and hawed between nursing and something more connected to athletic life. It wasn't until a practicum placement during an accelerated psychiatric nursing program that the direction became clear. "We were told to go shadow someone," Taylor said. "I found someone who was a therapist assistant that had graduated from Okan...
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Outdoor learning space takes root at North Glenmore Elementary in partnership with Okanagan College
July 6, 2026
It started with a patch of unused school ground and an idea. When North Glenmore Elementary School teacher Erin Burton secured funding through the BC Parks Foundation’s Learning by Nature Program to transform a corner of her school’s grounds, she made a phone call she wasn’t sure would go anywhere. She reached out to the Trades and Apprenticeship Department at Okanagan College (OC). Turns out, it was the right call. More than 30 of OC’s Trades Sampler students — high school students from School District 23 (SD23) exploring car...
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Okanagan College alumna named BCHL Athletic Therapist of the Year
June 26, 2026
Whether she is working on the ice or on the field, Cassidy Findlay is at the top of her game.Findlay, currently the Athletic Therapist for the West Kelowna Warriors, was recently named the BC Hockey League’s (BCHL) Athletic Therapist of the Year for 2025-26. It is a significant recognition for the Certified Athletic Therapist, who traces the foundation of her success directly back to her time in OC’s Kinesiology diploma program. Findlay came to OC knowing she wanted to work in health care related to sport. What she didn’t know ...
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Okanagan College carpentry students bring their skills to the Shuswap community
June 18, 2026
Okanagan College (OC) Carpenter Foundation students are no strangers to rolling up their sleeves and getting to work beyond the shop floor. This year, students framed a duplex for Gardom Lake Kids Camp and Retreat Centre near Enderby, and constructed 30 raised garden beds for the Shuswap Food Action Society’s John McLeod Memorial Garden in Salmon Arm — real projects that put technical skills to work while contributing to community infrastructure.The project at Gardom Lake Kids Camp and Retreat Centre — a summer camp and outdoor educ...
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Okanagan College student pours her heart out and into her work
June 18, 2026
In the quiet privacy of her home studio, student-artist Julia Harley is building a body of work that is heartfelt, visceral and uncomfortably magnetic. Her watercolor painting, titled Pour Your Heart Out, which she shared at the OC Student Showcase this year, is just one example. It depicts an elegant, classic domestic scene of a tea party, but the focal point strays from the traditional politeness and high society of a tea party. In place of the traditional porcelain teapot sits an anatomically accurate human heart, dripping blood ...
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