Scholarships support health-care training at OC’s Revelstoke Centre

By College Relations | April 30, 2019
           

Okanagan College Media Release

Study to be a Health Care Assistant (HCA) in Revelstoke and be confident that the community is there to support you.

Revelstoke residents taking the HCA program at Okanagan College beginning this September will get a financial boost, thanks to the Revelstoke District Health Foundation.

The Foundation is donating $12,000 to create scholarships to directly support Revelstoke residents who register as students in the program this fall. The HCA program provides training for one of the most in-demand positions in the province.

“The Revelstoke District Health Foundation is pleased to once more offer financial assistance in the form of scholarships to Revelstoke students accepted into the Health Care Assistant program at Okanagan College. The two past intakes have proved very successful and of great benefit to our community. We had no hesitation in participating with Interior Health and Okanagan College to support another great program,” says Margaret Zielonka, Acting Chair of the Revelstoke District Health Foundation Committee.

The intensive program runs for 26 weeks starting in September and will feature four months of classroom instruction and two months of hands-on practicum for students to learn within the health-care environment.

Up to 12 students will each receive $1,000 scholarships, as part of a partnership between the Revelstoke District Health Foundation, Interior Health and Okanagan College.
Tuition for the program is $3,261 and is student-loan eligible.

“Interior Health appreciates this generous contribution from the Foundation, which will ultimately have direct benefit to the people we serve. Health care assistants are in high demand in Revelstoke and this contribution ensures that local individuals are able to pursue their certification in Revelstoke,” says North Okanagan Long-term Care Administrator Josee Leclerc.

“It is also a vitally rewarding job because health care assistants are the people who often have the closest relationships with individuals in care or needing support at home.”

According to WorkBC, health care assistants have been identified as a priority occupation for the B.C. Ministry of Health. Average employment growth rates in this field are forecasted at 13 per cent to 2022, with no sign of slowing. This demand is anticipated to increase even more after the Government of B.C. recently announced funding to increase staffing levels in long-term care homes for seniors, which aims to fund more than 900 health care assistants by 2021.

“The need for health care assistants is growing and employment opportunities for individuals with this training are plenty. We are grateful that the Foundation chose to support students who will ultimately become the faces of health care in the region,” explains Joan Ragsdale, Regional Dean Shuswap Revelstoke.

An information night is scheduled for Wednesday, May 1 at 7 p.m. at Okanagan College’s Revelstoke Centre, 1401 1
st St. West. Students will meet program staff who can discuss the program and outline education financing options, admission requirements and supports for returning students. Information on Work BC funding eligibility will also be available.

Applications can be submitted online. For information, call 250-832-2126, ext. 8259 or visit www.okanagan.bc.ca/hca
.

 




TOP STORIES

RELATED STORIES

Sign up for weekly stories




Trending

Communications student standing outside the Centre for Learning building at the Kelowna campus
Meet Ruth Gabriela Melo Flores

April 4, 2023

Q: What's your name? A: Ruth Gabriela Melo Flores Q: What's your hometown? A: Quito – Ecuador – South America Q: How did you end up at Okanagan College? A: Well, I studied for a bachelor's degree in Law in Ecuador. Then, I worked for a while and got my Master's degree in Government and Culture of Organizations at the University of Pamplona.  When I returned to my country, professional opportunities arose for me. I mean, a Master's degree improved my career. Spain helped ...

Read more...
Animation student
Artistic students design future careers in animation

June 7, 2022

Grads of Okanagan College’s Animation Diploma program are finding their skills have never been in higher demand. First- and second-year students showed samples of their artwork and demo reels to industry partners at OC’s annual Animation Industry Night on May 17. “Lots of the work was very professional,” says James Wood, Chair of Okanagan College’s Animation Department. “Our program is short, but intense. The instructors make sure the students have a realistic understanding of what they need do to succeed in a competitive and demanding...

Read more...
JAMK campus
OC Business students embrace international study again

May 30, 2022

Business students from Okanagan College are once again able to travel to Jyväskylä, Finland to experience an international summer school at the JAMK University of Applied Sciences.  Finland’s education system is widely regarded as one of the best in the world.  OC Business Professor Blair Baldwin, who has taught Services Design at JAMK for several summers, says working in Finland has helped him innovate and create new teaching methodologies. “JAMK employs experiential learning across its curriculum,” he says. “They stress cri...

Read more...
Enactus 2022
Enactus Okanagan College tops the field, sets sights on national championships

May 27, 2022

Okanagan College students will once again be competing for the Canadian title after qualifying for the Enactus National Exposition with a first-place finish in their league during the semi-final round. Enactus teams at post-secondary institutions across Canada competed virtually earlier this month, and Okanagan College scooped up top position in the TD Entrepreneurship Challenge, and runner-up in the Scotiabank Climate Action Challenge for the Unusually Good Food Co. project. It also included national runner-up in Shaw and RBC accelerator...

Read more...