Students entering the Sustainable Construction Management Technology (SCMT) diploma program this fall at Okanagan College will now be eligible to apply for a new scholarship.

Longtime College supporters Rick and Yasmin Thorpe of Penticton are providing four $2,500 scholarships for students entering the program this fall, based on their financial need.

In making the announcement, Rick Thorpe described Okanagan College as a “great college with a world class facility for great Okanagan students.”

“We want students to know that there are opportunities for assistance and both Yasmin and I are pleased to be able to help a number of students,” he said. “We will work with the Okanagan College Foundation to award those students who have a goal, may need financial assistance, and who have demonstrated good academic results.”

Okanagan College Foundation executive director Kathy Butler thanked the Thorpes for their contribution to the program.

“Our College is so fortunate to have supporters like Rick and Yasmin Thorpe. They have been friends of the College for many years, and to have them come forward with this funding for a new program says a lot about their confidence in the College and what it stands for,” Butler said.

The Thorpes have committed to continue their support to the program by providing two $2,500 scholarships in subsequent years.

The three-year SCMT diploma is being offered at the Penticton campus. Students attending the program will benefit from learning inside a living classroom, deemed one of the world’s most sustainable buildings: The Jim Pattison Centre of Excellence in Sustainable Building Technologies and Renewable Energy Conservation.

The SCMT program is designed to provide students with the relevant skills needed to work in an increasingly complex industry by incorporating sustainability into three distinct pillars of instruction: construction techniques, project management, and emerging technologies.

For more information about the program, visit www.okanagan.bc.ca/scmt.

News from © iNFOnews, 2013