Articles tagged "Trades"
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 celebrates standout student achievement at 2026 Skills Canada National Competition
June 9, 2026
Not only do Okanagan College students Emily Frick and Vladyslav Usach have promising careers ahead of them working in the skilled trades, but they will also forever be linked as two of the top OC students to compete at the national level.OC is celebrating the students and their standout results at the 2026 Skills Canada National Competition, held on May 28 and 29 in Toronto, Ontario. Both brought home national hardware — Frick earning the bronze medal in Car Painting and Usach capturing the gold medal in Collision Repair. Frick...
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Meet Emilie Lougheed, Welding instructor
May 20, 2026
Q: What is your education and background?A: In 2016 I completed my Foundations ticket here at OC after first trying welding while living overseas in New Zealand. With the help of WITT and MNBC I completed all my levels here at the college.I bounced around all over BC including the Kootenays and Revelstoke where I built inland ferries and worked for CP Rail.Q: What is your area of interest?A: I enjoy working creatively with my hands, whether that’s welding and trying ne...
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OC students bring home hardware from 2026 Skills Canada BC Provincial Competition
May 1, 2026
Okanagan College (OC) students delivered a standout performance at the 2026 Skills Canada BC Provincial Trades and Technology Competition, earning multiple medals across trades and technology disciplines.Held on April 15 at the Tradex in Abbotsford, the 32nd annual provincial competition brought together approximately 500 of the province's top secondary and post-secondary students who had previously earned gold medals at regional competitions across BC.Leading OC's results were three gold medalists. Emily Frick claimed top honours i...
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Okanagan College’s Jill of All Trades inspires the next generation — and the results are already showing
April 22, 2026
In grade eight, Sophie Heuston walked into a hands-on skilled trades event and was introduced to the electrical trade for the first time. She didn’t know it then, but that day pointed her toward everything that came next. Today, Heuston is a Red Seal electrician and project manager with FortisBC in the Kootenay region. Her career path wasn’t linear — but her interest in the trades was sparked early, leading to electrical training and a great career.On April 28, she brings her story to OC’s Kelowna campus as the keynote speaker ...
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Red Seal electrician returns to Okanagan College as keynote speaker for women in trades leadership series
March 2, 2026
When Kira Watton first stepped onto a job site, she noticed something right away — she was often the only woman there.Today, the Okanagan College alumna is a Red Seal electrician working on a major project in East Kelowna. Her path into the skilled trades began with uncertainty and grew through determination, mentorship and the support of programs designed to open doors for women.“When I first considered a career in the skilled trades, I didn’t see many women on job sites,” said Watton. “Programs that connect women with mentors and ...
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TogetHER brings business leaders together to drive innovation across the Okanagan
February 9, 2026
Okanagan College and WeBC are launching TogetHER, a new leadership and growth initiative designed to bring self-identifying women business owners, leaders and entrepreneurs together to strengthen innovation and collaboration across the Okanagan.“Okanagan College is committed to creating meaningful opportunities for women in every part of our economy — from skilled trades to innovation and enterprise,” said Dean of Trades and Apprenticeship at Okanagan College, Caitlin Hartigan. “TogetHER creates space for women-led b...
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Skills Regionals competitions to take place at Okanagan College
February 6, 2026
Later this month, it might look like OC’s Kelowna campus has been taken over by middle and high school students.The 2026 Skills B.C. Regional Trades and Technologies competitions are expected to see more than 200 middle and high school students at Okanagan College on Feb. 20, competing in a wide variety of competitions, ranging from cabinetmaking to automotive services, and welding to culinary – with many more in between.Expanded sessions for this year include animation, pu...
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OC carpentry students make their mark in the region, one project at a time
December 11, 2025
Every builder remembers the moment things “clicked.” The first time a measurement lined up perfectly. The first time a project felt less like a task and more like a calling. For many carpenters across the region, those moments started at Okanagan College, in workshops that buzzed with possibility and included instructors who knew how to turn curiosity into ability. Graham Boots, with human resources at Greyback Construction, has seen it firsthand. “We’ve welcomed many OC-trained apprentice carpenters ...
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Okanagan College and CWB Group spark new opportunities for internationally trained welders
December 10, 2025
With demand for skilled welders rising across Canada, Okanagan College has partnered with the Canadian Welding Bureau (CWB) Group to deliver the National Welder Competency Assessment and Skills Training (NWCAST) program — a tuition-free initiative to help internationally trained welders and skilled trade professionals gain Canadian certification and connect to meaningful employment.The need for certified skilled trade professionals far exceeds supply right across Canada, and additional welders and welding-related trade professionals...
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New mentorship platform goes live for OC trades students and industry mentors
September 23, 2025
With more than 500 new and returning Okanagan College (OC) trades and apprenticeship students attending the College this fall, a new online mentorship platform is now live, to connect students with mentors who can support them on their journey to a meaningful – and well-paid – career in the skilled trades.The OC Trades Network is an easy-to-use online platform that connects apprentices of all genders with industry leaders for one-on-one mentorship along with other tools for success including educational resources, training and netwo...
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New Dean of Trades and Apprenticeship coming back to BC
July 29, 2025
Okanagan College is pleased to announce that Caitlin Hartigan, a former B.C. resident and an experienced and passionate leader in the skilled trades sector, has been named the new Dean of Trades and Apprenticeship at Okanagan College.Originally from Vancouver Island, Hartigan joins Okanagan College from her current position as the Director of Programming & Client Operations at Women Building Futures in Edmonton. Prior to that she was the Dean of Skilled Trades at Northwestern Polytechnic and the Dean of Trades & Heavy Indust...
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Saying farewell to Dean of Trades and Apprenticeship, Stephen Speers
June 23, 2025
After more than four years of energetic leadership, Okanagan College is bidding farewell to Stephen Speers, Dean of Trades and Apprenticeship, as he embarks on retirement. Since taking on the helm in Trades and Apprenticeship at OC in April 2021, Speers has been a strong advocate for trades education and student success. He has bolstered college-industry partnerships, led improvements to program performance and supported diversity and inclusion across the portfolio. OC currently leads provincial performance (SkilledTrades...
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OC’s Jill of All Trades event inspires the next generation of female skilled trades professionals in the Okanagan
May 23, 2025
They sanded. They torqued. They welded.From automotive service and collision repair to carpentry, plumbing and aircraft maintenance, over 130 middle and high school students rolled up their sleeves and stepped into the world of skilled trades at Jill of All Trades, hosted at Okanagan College’s Kelowna campus on May 22.Designed to spark curiosity and confidence in young women, Jill of All Trades events offer a full day of hands-on workshops led by experienced skilled trades instructors and mentors —many of whom are industry prof...
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The ACTION Project provides support for female apprentices
May 2, 2025
With the recent celebration of Construction and Skilled Trades Month, Okanagan College is pleased to announce it has launched a new web page dedicated to supporting the retention of apprentices in the skilled trades, as part of its ongoing efforts to increase the number of people entering the skilled trades.The ACTION Project website at okanagan.bc.ca/action is a dedicated online platform designed to connect female and gender-diverse apprentices in BC’s construction and manufacturing trades with critical supports and opportunities, ...
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OC students win big at Skills Canada Provincials, showcasing excellence across the board
May 1, 2025
Okanagan College (OC) students displayed their excellence competing against their peers across the province with an impressive showing at the prestigious 2025 Skills Canada BC Provincial Competition. In all, Team OC earned nine medals across science and technology, business, and a range of trades disciplines — including three golds, four silvers and two bronzes.Hosted at the Abbotsford Trade and Exhibition Centre on April 16, the Skills Canada competition brought together top students and apprentices from ac...
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