Okanagan College

Okanagan College
Type public, post-secondary institution
Established 1963 as B.C. Vocational School; renamed Okanagan College (1965–1995); renamed Okanagan University College (1995–2005); renamed Okanagan College (2005–present)
President Jim Hamilton
Students over 8,000
Location 1000 K.L.O. Road
Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada
V1Y 4X8
Sports teams Coyotes
Colours White     ; black     ; red     
Nickname Coyotes
Affiliations CiCAN, CCAA, CBIE
Website www.okanagan.bc.ca

Okanagan College is a public, post-secondary institution with over 120 certificates, diplomas, degrees and programs including apprenticeship and pre-apprenticeship trades programs. Its largest campus is located in Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada. Established in 1963, Okanagan College has since grown to be the largest college in British Columbia outside the Lower Mainland and Victoria with over 8,500 full-time students on four regional campuses and is the second-largest trade school in British Columbia. Approximately 1,000 international students from over 40 countries currently study at Okanagan College. The College also has one of the fastest growing populations of Aboriginal students of any college in the province; in the 2015-16 academic year Okanagan College delivered educational programming to 1680 Aboriginal students (more than three times the number that attended in 2005-06).[1]

History

With roots dating back to 1963, Okanagan College has always played an important role in the development of the region. The name was changed to Okanagan University College (OUC) c. 1995, but the older name Okanagan College was re-adopted on July 1, 2005, as OUC was divided into Okanagan College and UBC Okanagan.

Campuses

In 2006 Okanagan College operated four main campuses, Kelowna, Penticton, Vernon, and Salmon Arm as well as many smaller access centres.

Programs

The College offers a wide array of programs in university arts and science, business, trades, health, technologies, adult basic education (upgrading), adult special education and continuing studies.

Programs that may be of interest to international students include: ESL courses/language training, vocational and trades programs and four-year degrees in both Business and Computer Information Systems. Many students also choose the university transfer program which allows students a smooth transition and cost-saving entry method into many of Canada’s most prestigious universities. This program includes courses in history, literature, psychology, chemistry, biology, physics and gender studies. Faculty are university educated academics who care deeply about their students. The College also has a long history of successful study tours, student exchanges and customized group training programs.[2]

The College is also home to a number of programs that are unique to the institution, including the Sustainable Construction Management Technology (SCMT) program based out of The Jim Pattison Centre of Excellence at the Penticton campus. The program provides students with practical, hands-on education in current and emerging green building techniques and technologies.

Sustainability

Sustainability is one of Okanagan College's core values. The College is home to an array of highly sustainable facilities including The Jim Pattison Centre of Excellence, which opened in 2011 and received LEED® Platinum certification in 2015. The building was voted the greenest post-secondary building in Canada in 2016 in an independent review conducted by Corporate Knights magazine. The renovated and expanded Trades Complex at the Kelowna campus, which opened in September 2016, was built to achieve LEED® Platinum standards and has received a number of awards for achievements in design and sustainability. The Centre of Excellence at the Kelowna campus, which opened in 2009, is LEED® Gold certified.

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Okanagan College Aboriginal Services". Okanagan College. Okanagan College. Retrieved 8 August 2017.
  2. ↑ "Okanagan College International Education". Okanagan College. Okanagan College. Retrieved 8 August 2017.

Coordinates: 49°51′47″N 119°28′52″W / 49.86306°N 119.48111°W / 49.86306; -119.48111

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