B.C. students have more opportunities to train for in-demand health-care jobs
October 1, 2021
The following news release has been shared on behalf of the Ministry of Advanced Education and Skills Training and Okanagan College. KELOWNA - British Columbians looking for rewarding health-care careers now have access to a state-of-the-art learning environment with Okanagan College's new Health Sciences Centre, which opened to students this semester. "If COVID-19 has taught us anything, it's how essential health-care workers are to our province," said Adrian Dix, Minister of Health. "We know B.C. needs more health-care professio...
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kinSHIFT: a powerful—and local—way to learn about Truth and Reconciliation
September 27, 2021
Kelly Terbasket of IndigenEYEZ has created a new sister organization for allies—kinSHIFT. Launched this spring, kinSHIFT is a tailored set of workshops for non-Indigenous allies who want to take the next step. Designed in response to increasing requests from people who want to be genuine allies, kinSHIFT is a safer space to do the work. &n...
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FortisBC powers up support for women and Indigenous students
September 24, 2021
New awards and opportunities for mentorship with FortisBC are making it easier for female and female Indigenous students to be successful with their trades education. FortisBC recently set up three scholarships for women in trades with a focus on supporting female students who are at the mid-point in their education. The scholarship comes with the potential for the student to meet with FortisBC representatives and connect with someone working in a role they may be interested in pursuing in the future. "We wanted to support student...
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New LPN Orthopaedic Program at OC Set to Start in January 2022
September 22, 2021
Licensed Practical Nurses (LPNs) will have a learning option for advanced orthopaedic knowledge and skills that keeps them closer to home. The new LPN Orthopaedic Certificate offered at Okanagan College (OC) is the first of its kind in British Columbia. Launching in January 2022, the online certificate program is set to increase access to advanced orthopaedic education for nurses throughout the province and minimize travel requirements. “This program will meet the provincial need for a local solution for training opportunities...
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Volunteers needed for a sweet cause: Enactus OC students invite community to join them in picking apples
September 17, 2021
A group of Okanagan College business students are once again putting the call out for volunteers from OC and the community to help them harvest fruit that will be used to make healthy snacks for children and others in need. Launched in the fall of 2018, Fruit Snaps is a Vernon- and Penticton-based project co-ordinated by Enactus OC students in partnership with the North Okanagan Valley Gleaners Society facility. It’s focused on taking unused apples from local orchards and dehydrating them into snacks for local schools. The Fruit S...
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Why We Write: Poets of Vernon
September 10, 2021
The writing community of Vernon is taking centre stage in a new film produced by OC English Professor and self-proclaimed budding filmmaker Hannah Calder. For the last four years, Calder has been collaborating with Curtis and Silmara Emde on Why We Write: Poets of Vernon, a film project originally sparked in 2017. Curtis, an OUC alumnus, has stayed in touch with his first-year English professor, Tom Wayman, since completing his studies. When Wayman released his collection ...
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#WelcomeHomeOC Campaign Kicks Off
September 3, 2021
We’re ready to celebrate the return to student life at OC! As we come back together, let’s share some kindness and support each other as our OC community grows. Visit the WelcomeHomeOC web page to view the growing gallery of social media content that is being shared to celebrate the return to campus and support our strong connections. While you’re on the page, you’ll get to know more about professors and instructors, staff, students, alumni and others in the broader OC community. Join in and share content tagged #WelcomeHomeOC. We...
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Lawren Richards
September 3, 2021
“I am a single mom to 17-year-old twins. We had been living in a 400-square-foot cabin about an hour from town when an opportunity came up that would allow me to purchase some land and build my own home closer to town and my kids’ school. I have always been interested in natural building but I don’t have a carpentry background so I enrolled in the Carpenter Foundation program in Salmon Arm. I was the only woman in the class and much older than my classmates, so I w...
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Ty Sideroff
September 3, 2021
“I have always been interested in our anatomy and exercising so I enrolled in OC’s Kinesiology Diploma program. My first year was going really well, then COVID-19 hit. I was able to finish the first year in an online format. However, starting school in September completely online, I was struggling to stay engaged with my studies. Before COVID, many of our classes would be active and in the gym. I found it hard to stay present with everything online and not having the sa...
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Saige Girouard, Red River, Métis Nation
September 3, 2021
“In my second year of studies I connected with a classmate over our shared curiosity to learn more about our Indigenous backgrounds. I’m Métis, but my family didn’t practice Indigenous customs. My classmate went on to be very successful in reconnecting with her culture. Watching her hit those milestones I knew that if she could do it, I could do it too. I’d say the tipping point for me was winning a bursary from Okanagan College to attend the Indigenous Women’s Leadersh...
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