Premier Christy Clark speaks with a student at Okanagan College in Kelowna today, Sept. 22, 2016 at the grand opening of the Trades Training Complex.
Image Credit: Christy Clark via Twitter
September 22, 2016 - 4:30 PM
OKANAGAN - The new and improved Trades Training Complex at Okanagan College in Kelowna is now officially open.
The province contributed $28 million out of the $35 million total project cost. Okanagan College is raising the rest of the cost through fundraising, according to B.C. government media release.
The complex includes a 6,237 square metre expansion and 4,385 square metre renovation of the current trades facility.
"This is a space that truly reflects the importance of skilled trades training and the value our students bring to our communities. It is one of our most sustainable buildings and is intended to showcase latest technologies and inspire students and others," Okanagan College president Jim Hamilton says in the release. "The success of this project is in no small way attributed to the support we have received from our community and I continue to be grateful for that support."
The Okanagan College trades training program hosts 2,700 students each year and now has a new and updated space for shops and classes. Apprenticeship programs, diploma programs, foundations certificates are all available to potential students.
"When I started the program there wasn't room for the electrical students on campus so we were learning at a leased site near the airport," fourth-year electrician apprentice Patrick Bailey says in the release.
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