Learning & Programs
Camp OC serves up summer fun and learning across the Okanagan
February 23, 2026
Camp OC is back for another summer of learning and fun with creative, hands-on and high-energy camps at Okanagan College campuses across the region. Designed for children and youth in grades 1–12, Camp OC offers week-long day camps and high school credit programs in a safe, supportive environment that families have come to trust.Running from July through August at Okanagan College campuses in Penticton, Kelowna, Vernon and Salmon Arm, Camp OC invites young learners to explore a wide range of interests — from coding to cooking, paint...
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OC Speaker Series: Unpacking the climate cost of the 2026 FIFA World Cup
February 9, 2026
What does the world’s biggest sporting event have to do with climate change? On Monday, February 23, Okanagan College’s Salmon Arm campus invites students, staff and community members to explore that question at a thought-provoking speaker series event from 12:30 - 1:30 p.m.English professor and researcher Dr. Tim Walters will present a discussion on the climate impact of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.“This is a timely and urgent look at the environmental realities behind what is expected to be the biggest sporting event in history –...
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OC Speaker Series: Unpacking the climate cost of the 2026 FIFA World Cup
February 9, 2026
What does the world’s biggest sporting event have to do with climate change?On Monday, February 23, Okanagan College’s Salmon Arm campus invites students, staff and community members to explore that question at a thought-provoking speaker series event from 12:30 - 1:30 p.m.English professor and researcher Dr. Tim Walters will present a discussion on the climate impact of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.“This is a timely and urgent look at the environmental realities behind what is expected to be the biggest sporting event in history – and w...
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Okanagan College planning for new restaurant and café in Centre for Food, Wine and Tourism
January 16, 2026
With construction of the Okanagan College Centre for Food, Wine and Tourism progressing on-budget and on-schedule, planning is underway for an exciting new student-led restaurant and café that will open inside the Kelowna facility in Fall 2027.Okanagan College is working with Ned Bell, a prominent B.C. chef and advocate for sustainable food systems, to create a new vision and implementation plan for an eatery on the Kelowna campus that will be open to students and the public.Culinary students will participate in restaurant operation...
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OC students take first overall at prestigious business competition
January 14, 2026
Okanagan College (OC) business students have once again shown that when it comes to building businesses, their training is on par with the best schools in the country and across North America.The OC School of Business is celebrating an extraordinary achievement after earning first place overall at the Inter-Collegiate Business Competition (I.C.B.C.), one of the most prestigious business case competitions in North America.Hosted annually by the Business students of Queen’s University, the competition draws top business programs from ...
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OC instructor awarded 2025 Ed McIsaac Human Rights in Corrections award
December 12, 2025
Okanagan College professor Dr. Melissa Munn has dedicated much of her career to educating students as an instructor, researcher and writer, including the past 15 years at OC.As a student herself, she earned her doctorate studying long-term prisoners, becoming an expert in prison reform and the Canadian prison system.On Wednesday night in Ottawa, Munn was honoured for her work as the 2025 recipient of the Ed McIsaac Human Rights in Corrections Award recognizing her nearly four decades of unwavering commitment to advancing human right...
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Changes to Office Administration programs at OC
December 12, 2025
As part of ongoing program reviews, there will be changes to Office Administration offerings at OC in the new year. These include:The Bookkeeping/Accounting Technician certificate will be offered by the School of Business online, with five intakes during the 2026/27 academic year. Admissions will reopen in March.The Paralegal Diploma and Legal Administrative Assistant certificates will be transferred internally to OC’s Arts and Foundational portfolio to better with similar programming. Admissions to the Kelowna Campus offering...
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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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OC student earns prestigious internship to support access to education overseas
December 4, 2025
Okanagan College student Ladi Bil is looking forward to a career dedicated to equity-based advocacy and social justice. Bil is going to be taking a significant step on her journey after she was selected for the Empowerment Squared International Youth Internship Program (IYIP), a program funded by Global Affairs Canada and delivered in partnership with McMaster University.The four-month internship will take place January to April 2026 where Ladi will be placed in Ghana as part of a team that wi...
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Okanagan College unveils sustainable construction programs to respond to industry needs
December 2, 2025
More students will be able to train for careers in construction and project management with the launch of two new innovative programs at Okanagan College, focusing on an integrated and holistic approach to modern day construction.Applications are open now for the new one-year Sustainable Construction Management certificate or the two-year Sustainable Design and Construction Management diploma. The programs are offered primarily online and in the evenings to accommodate working professionals and learners who aren’t able to atte...
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Future builders showcase skills through BCIT’s ACE Certificate program delivered in partnership with Okanagan College
November 5, 2025
The next generation of architects, construction managers and engineers took centre stage at the end of the summer as students in BCIT’s Essential Technical Skills for Architecture, Construction, and Engineering (ACE) Certificate program — delivered in partnership with Okanagan College (OC) — presented their summer projects to parents, employers, post-secondary representatives and community partners at OC’s Kelowna campus.The event marked the completion of the ACE Summer Intensive — a three-course introduction to digital modelling, c...
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Health Care Assistant program in Lillooet returns in January 2026, building on success of first community-based cohort
October 30, 2025
Okanagan College and the Community Adult Learning Centre (CALC) within the Lillooet Tribal Council are building on a successful in-community program launch last year, with more Indigenous students set to begin their training to become certified Health Care Assistants in January 2026.Last year marked the first time the partners graduated six Indigenous students through the program, the first time Health Care Assistant (HCA) program was delivered in Lillooet.Delivered in partnership with the Ministry of Post-Secondary Education and Fu...
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New flexible ECE programs at Okanagan College open doors for students and meet growing demand for childcare professionals
October 21, 2025
When Dan Wang boarded a plane from China to Canada, she carried more than just luggage. She carried the weight of leaving her two young children behind, the uncertainty of starting over in a new country and the hope that pursuing her dream of becoming an Early Childhood Educator would inspire her family and her future.Her family encouraged her: “Your children will be proud of you,” they said. “They will see their mom chasing her dream.”Now, as she works towards her Early Childhood Education (ECE) Diploma at Okanagan College (OC) in ...
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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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OC Adult Upgrading instructor helps learners rewrite their futures
August 6, 2025
Some instructors teach math. Sofia Sookochoff teaches students to believe in themselves.For nearly two decades, Sookochoff has been a steady force with Okanagan College’s Adult Upgrading program as an educator, but also as a champion of second (or third) chances.“I’ve been a math educator for over 20 years,” said Sookochoff. “Seventeen of those have been with Adult Upgrading at Okanagan College. It is so rewarding to support students who are coming back to school — often after years away — and help them move forward.”In her classes,...
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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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