Okanagan College Media Release - Oct. 26, 2007

When Craig Werger graduated from Kelowna Senior Secondary he knew he wanted to pursue a career in the trades. As the son of Randy Werger, Okanagan College’s Associate Dean of Trades and Apprenticeship, Werger was well aware of the opportunities for skilled tradespersons.

In 2003, he enroled in Okanagan College’s Entry-level Heavy Duty and Commercial Transport Mechanics program where he benefited from industry-specific training and a two-week job placement that resulted in a booming career.

“There are lots of job opportunities in this field - especially if you are willing to go up north or to Alberta,” explains Werger. “There are certainly opportunities in the Okanagan as well. I was lucky to complete a work term with Finning in Vernon and it was such a good experience that I never left.”

At Finning Werger works a regular dayshift and usually puts in a 40-hour workweek. The opportunity for overtime is readily available and at times he has worked up to 75 hours in a week. He maintains some of the largest heavy-duty equipment made by Caterpillar including wheel loaders, compact construction equipment, excavators and skidders.

Werger points to the range of employment options as one of the reasons he took the program. Students who complete the Heavy Duty and Commercial Transport Mechanics program have the ability to work on heavy-duty equipment or in the transport end of things working on commercial vehicles.

Werger understands the importance of completing his apprenticeship training. Having now finished his level four apprenticeship, he will write the red seal interprovincial exam for his trade next week. Once accredited, Werger will be eligible to work anywhere in the country as a heavy duty or commercial transport mechanic. His chances of leaving the Okanagan are slim, explains Werger, who believes Finning is the best employer in the field.

“I wouldn’t work for anyone else,” says Werger. “Finning is a great company and there are so many opportunities for me here. I am taking on more and more responsibility and am really happy with my career.”

An intake of Okanagan College’s 38-week Heavy Duty and Commercial Transport Mechanics program will begin Nov. 13 in Kelowna. Classes run Tuesday – Friday from 12 – 8:10 p.m. Spaces are still available – anyone interested in finding out more about a career in Heavy Duty and Commercial Transport Mechanics can contact the Trades and Apprenticeship office at (250) 862-5457

 
                       

Okanagan College Media Release - Oct. 22, 2007

Penticton entrepreneur Corinne Inman is busier than ever after being named Okanagan College’s 2007 Young Alumni Award winner.

Inman will receive her award at a dinner ceremony hosted by Okanagan College on Oct. 25 at the Ramada Inn in Kelowna. Tickets to the event are still available through Okanagan College.

Inman launched Morpheus Graphics, a full-service design and printing studio in 2005, just three years after graduating from Okanagan College with a diploma in Business with a specialization in marketing.

“I have been getting a lot of phone calls since being named Young Alumni Award winner,” says Inman. “Being selected by Okanagan College for this award has definitely helped my business – now people are more aware of who I am, where I am and what I do.”

In addition to her new status as Young Entrepreneur Award winner, Inman also benefits from her local roots. A graduate of Pen Hi Secondary, Inman’s connection to the community of Penticton and her personal community involvement gives people a lot of reasons to patronize her business and utilize her expertise and services.

“People in the Okanagan really like to support local businesses,” says Inman. “Now that more people know about the services I offer, I have gotten a lot more business.”

More business means longer hours for the 29-year-old who often puts in 14-hour days. Inman handles all of the marketing and design services for the company as well as managing all aspects of the business. She has two employees, one of whom is her mother Wendy, and hasn’t taken a vacation in nearly two-and-a-half years.

“My days don’t seem long because I truly love what I am doing,” says Inman. “The beauty of working for myself is that I get to be really creative and can devote myself to work that I feel is important and that I am proud to attach my name to. My community involvement is also very fulfilling and I feel so fortunate to be able to pursue my dream every day.”

In its start-up year, 2005, Morpheus Graphics was nominated for two Penticton Wine Country Chamber of Commerce Business Excellence Awards for New Business and Young Entrepreneur. In 2006 Inman and her company received three nominations, taking home the award for Young Entrepreneur of the Year.

Inman will attend the Alumni Awards banquet on Oct. 25 in Kelowna. Also receiving a top honour at the event is Nick Arkle, Distinguished Alumni Award winner and Woodlands Manager and Chief Forester at Gorman Bros. Lumber Ltd.

Arkle follows Westbank First Nation Chief Robert Louie, who was named DAA winner in 2006. Chosen for his community involvement and vast array of volunteer work, Arkle has committed a considerable amount of his personal and professional life to assisting local, national and international charities and organizations.

The 2007 Alumni Awards night will also include honours for members of Team Scott: Kelly Scott (Business Administration diploma 1999), Jeanna Schreader (Computer Information Systems diploma 2000) and Renee Simons (Office Administration diploma 1991). The fourth member of Team Scott, Sasha Carter, will be recognized as an honorary alumna. 

Four students from the Okanagan School of Business will be commended for their performance at the 43rd annual International Collegiate Business Strategy Competition in San Diego. Competing under the name Inukshuk Sound, and competing as the only Canadian team, Arluene King, Janta Quigley, Arend Hoekstra and Jane Long won best overall team performance, top written report, top stock portfolio performance coach, top stock portfolio performance students (first and second place).

The 2007 Alumni Awards banquet will begin at 5 p.m. on October 25, in Kelowna. Tickets are still available at a cost of $85 for alumni and $100 for other guests.  To purchase tickets, call Katerina Hay at (250) 862-5630, ext. 3.

Okanagan College Media Release - Oct. 10, 2007

On Monday, Oct. 15, Okanagan College’s Kalamalka Press will release Abundance, a book of conversations about writing and the writing life by internationally acclaimed writer Robert Kroetsch and local writer John Lent.  Both writers will be in attendance and the evening starts at 7 p.m. in the Lecture Theatre at the Kalamalka campus of Okanagan College.

Abundance is the fourth book in the Mackie Lake House Writer-In-Residence Project, a collaboration between the Mackie Lake House and Okanagan College’s English Department.

Robert Kroetsch and John Lent

Kroetsch is a Governor General’s Award-winning writer of fiction, poetry and literary theory.  Kroetsch has over 20 books in print and has received critical acclaim in this country, in the United States and in Europe, Australia and New Zealand. He has been referred to as “Mr. Canadian Postmodern” by Linda Hutcheon and others, and his work has always been characterized by its comic exuberance and his love of the tall-tale on the one hand, and his willingness as a writer to experiment in a wide variety of genres and materials.


Local writer John Lent has published seven books of poetry and fiction and considers Kroetsch to be a mentor for a new generation of Canadian poets and novelists.

“It was a thrill to sit down and have these conversations with Kroetsch,” Lent said, “because his thinking and his work is so vital to the unfolding of our literature now.  He is a Canadian writer who has always taken these beautiful risks in his writing, in both fiction and poetry, and his literary theory serves as a preliminary map for new writers at the beginning of this century.  There is no other contemporary writer quite like him.”

Staff of the Kalamalka Press, writers of The Kalamalka Institute For Working Writers, and students in Okanagan College’s new Diploma in Writing and Publishing are proud to host this evening of readings, commentary and questions.  This event is free and the general public is welcome to attend. 

Copies of Abundance will be available at the launch for a cost of $10

Okanagan College Media Release
Oct. 10, 2007

Steve Tuck, Yasmin John-Thorpe, Kimberley Turner, Jesse Emmond and Minister Rick Thorpe

Two Mount Boucherie Senior Secondary graduates, who now attend Okanagan College, will have an easier time covering the cost of pursuing their education after receiving $2,500 as recipients of the 2007 Rick and Yasmin Thorpe & Friends Scholarship Fund.

Yasmin and Rick Thorpe, the Okanagan-Westside MLA, presented cheques to the students at their former Secondary school on Friday.

Kimberley Turner, one of the recipients who is enroled in Okanagan College’s Bachelor of Business Administration degree program, says the help couldn’t have come at a better time.

“I just want to thank the Thorpes so much,” says Turner. “This scholarship is amazing – it gives me a great opportunity to get my education.”

Jesse Emmond, who also received $2,500, had the confidence to apply for the financial award after being selected as the second place winner in Yasmin John-Thorpe’s Young Writers of the Okanagan contest.

“I was inspired by Yasmin’s writing contest,” says Emmond. “My second-place finish inspired me to press on toward my education. I am very thankful and grateful for this help.”

Emmond is pursuing an Associate Degree of Arts at the College and plans on earning a law degree in the future.

The Rick and Yasmin Thorpe & Friends Scholarship Fund was established to support students from the west side of Okanagan Lake from Penticton to Killiney Beach who enrol at Okanagan College in a range of studies including: business, viticulture, agriculture, engineering, tourism, trades, technologies, English or Creative Writing.

Recipients are selected based on a combination of financial need, academic standing, leadership potential and demonstration of contribution to their community.

“Yasmin and I are very pleased to present these awards to two outstanding recipients,” says Thorpe. “This is about giving back to our students – our future – and we wish Jesse and Kimberly all the very best.”

“Both Kimberley and Jesse are very deserving recipients,” says Steven Tuck, President of the Okanagan College Foundation. “This is a wonderful award that recognizes local students’ personal and educational achievements while fuelling their future potential.”