Collaboration & Partnerships
OC business students seek community support to launch investment fund
January 5, 2022
Justin Rantucci and Steven Fiust speak highly of their education at Okanagan College, but there is one thing they would like to change. When networking with other finance students at post-secondary institutions across Canada, they learned that schools with a student-run investment fund seemed to result in a better transition to finance careers for their graduates. Seeing an opportunity to provide hands-on experience for more OC students while building capacity locally, Rantucci, Fiust and fellow student Riley Dunsmore are looking to...
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Dec. 6 Candlelight Vigils return to OC’s Vernon and Salmon Arm campuses
December 2, 2021
Candlelight is returning to Okanagan College’s campuses, as a symbolic commitment to end violence against women. Communities in the Okanagan and Shuswap are marking the 32nd anniversary of the École Polytechnique Massacre, in addition to the ongoing cases of missing women from the region, with a Candlelight Vigil on Dec. 6 co-hosted by a network of organizations and volunteers. “The SAFE Society has been partnering with Okanagan College and students for over a decade to offer the Dec. 6 event, as an important way to remember and honour wo...
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New funding connects people to tourism careers in the Okanagan
November 15, 2021
The Ministry of Social Development and Poverty Reduction has announced a program that will provide skills training to as many as 30 eligible British Columbians to prepare them for jobs in the hospitality industry in the Okanagan and Shuswap regions. “Graduates of this skills-training project will be qualified for a variety of jobs in the hospitality and tourism sectors,” said Nicholas Simons, Minister of Social Development and Poverty Reduction. “The training participants receive will prepare them for exciting careers and give them an oppo...
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Soaring Indigenous sculpture unveiled in OC's new Health Sciences Centre
November 3, 2021
A nine metre (30 foot), hand-cut metal sculpture by local Indigenous artist Clint George is now installed and proudly on display in Okanagan College's new Health Sciences Centre. The sculpture represents the Four Food Chiefs, and depicts the Syilx Okanagan oral history (or captikʷɬ) on how food was given. James Coble, Director of Student Services and Indigenization Task Force Chair at Okanagan College, says the sculpture demonstrates the College’s commitment to creating welcoming spaces for Indigenous students. “The opportunity to create...
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kinSHIFT: a powerful—and local—way to learn about Truth and Reconciliation
September 27, 2021
Kelly Terbasket of IndigenEYEZ has created a new sister organization for allies—kinSHIFT. Launched this spring, kinSHIFT is a tailored set of workshops for non-Indigenous allies who want to take the next step. Designed in response to increasing requests from people who want to be genuine allies, kinSHIFT is a safer space to do the work. &nbs...
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FortisBC powers up support for women and Indigenous students
September 24, 2021
New awards and opportunities for mentorship with FortisBC are making it easier for female and female Indigenous students to be successful with their trades education. FortisBC recently set up three scholarships for women in trades with a focus on supporting female students who are at the mid-point in their education. The scholarship comes with the potential for the student to meet with FortisBC representatives and connect with someone working in a role they may be interested in pursuing in the future. "We wanted to support students in pay...
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Volunteers needed for a sweet cause: Enactus OC students invite community to join them in picking apples
September 17, 2021
A group of Okanagan College business students are once again putting the call out for volunteers from OC and the community to help them harvest fruit that will be used to make healthy snacks for children and others in need. Launched in the fall of 2018, Fruit Snaps is a Vernon- and Penticton-based project co-ordinated by Enactus OC students in partnership with the North Okanagan Valley Gleaners Society facility. It’s focused on taking unused apples from local orchards and dehydrating them into snacks for local schools. The Fruit Snaps tea...
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Building the energy efficient home of the future
August 23, 2021
Okanagan College and UBCO collaboration powers up Wilden Living Lab Phase 2 It’s a research partnership that’s about more than bricks and mortar. Okanagan College and UBC Okanagan — together with Wilden’s Blenk Development Corp., AuthenTech Homes and FortisBC — have broken ground on Phase 2 of the Wilden Living Lab research project. Phase one started in 2016 when two homes were built side-by-side in Wilden. One was built to current building codes including a natural gas furnace, standard plumbing fixtures and appliances, doub...
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Jillian Harris sets up award fund to support underrepresented students
August 20, 2021
A much-coveted subscription box from Canadian influencer and Kelowna local Jillian Harris will open up more than just surprises for recipients, but opportunities to support a generation of historically excluded students at Okanagan College with every subscription sold. Jillian Harris, through her fall Jilly Box, is raising $50,000 to create awards for Indigenous students, Black students and students of Colour at Okanagan College. The Jilly Box is seeding the fund with $15,000 and subsequently, will match donations up to $10,00...
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LCRB Clarifies Legality of Sample Distribution for Wine Releases
July 5, 2021
Sent on behalf of the BC Beverage Technology Access Centre BC BTAC Consults with Licensing Branch to Confirm Legality of Wine Sample Delivery The province’s Liquor & Cannabis Regulation Branch (LCRB) confirmed this week that the local beverage sector may legally deliver taste-sized samples of their product, which is great news for boutique producers and medium to large companies alike as it will allow for the traditional ‘Vintage Release’ for BC wineries in virtual format. In searching for ways to offer up its services to suppo...
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Edible garden project at OC’s Penticton campus to feed students, community members
June 29, 2021
A partnership between Okanagan College's Penticton campus and the Medical Arts Research Group is helping to root out food insecurity amongst students and local families. An edible garden program is being established on the north end of the Penticton campus, with the aim to provide fresh vegetables to OC students and food bank patrons in the community. Medical Arts Research Group donated the wood and fence material for the project. Raised garden beds were built in May by students in the Women in Trades Training program, and installed outsi...
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Partnership dishes up meal ideas by OC Culinary ɫɫɫƬ and local food products
June 24, 2021
A new partnership between Okanagan College and produce supplier company Farm Bound is bringing locally sourced organic foods to your doorstep with delicious summer-ready recipes crafted by OC Culinary Arts students. Food-lovers can now order the OC Inspiration Box from the Farm Bound website. The box has fully portioned ingredients for recipes to make Middle Eastern Chicken Za’atar, Carrot and Radish Salad, Pea Risotto with Asparagus and a spice blend to make your own Za’atar Spice Mix. Not only will you learn new recipes but also a few c...
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Post-secondary partners seek to unite early childhood education instructors across Canada
April 28, 2021
Virtual conference will focus on outdoor pedagogy in college ECE programs How does playing in the mud support children’s cognitive and social development? Why is outdoor play such a powerful conduit for learning? How can we advance curriculum to empower current and future early childhood educators (ECEs) to tap into it? These and other questions will be explored during a unique virtual conference next month that will bring together ECE instructors and outdoor play experts from across the country. On May 18, Okanagan College, in collabor...
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OC doing its part to reduce emissions
April 22, 2021
As the world’s leaders gather on Earth Day 2021 to discuss steps to battle climate change, Okanagan College is pointing to recent statistics that demonstrate how far its energy savings efforts are advancing B.C.’s sustainability agenda. Calculations completed this week show that OC has reduced its total overall greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) by 44 per cent since 2007 – this in the face of an overall growth in space of 44 per cent in the same period. The calculations show that OC has managed to decrease its per-square-metre emissions by mor...
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RIPE with opportunity: Join OC for a conference showcasing applied research in the region
April 9, 2021
From proposal writing to hydroponics, chemotherapy to climate change, and early childhood education to engaging with marginalized populations, the region is RIPE with applied research projects and Okanagan College is inviting you to attend its free showcase event to hear about the innovative research projects happening in your own backyard. RIPE (Research, Innovation and Partnerships Expo) is happening on May 4 from 8:30 a.m. – 3 p.m. as a virtual event, allowing people from across the region to attend. The event is an opportunity for com...
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ɫɫɫƬ invest in Health Sciences Centre
April 7, 2021
It’s an investment in future students and community health, and one the Okanagan College ɫɫɫƬ’ Union (OCSU) says is even more important in light of the ongoing pandemic. OCSU is donating $15,000 to the Okanagan College Foundation’s Our ɫɫɫƬ, Your Health campaign to complete construction of a new Health Sciences Centre on the Kelowna campus. “It’s always good to invest in education, but the pandemic has really brought to the forefront how important nurses and other health care providers are," says Joseph Welton, OCSU board member. ...
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