OCNews

Articles tagged "Continuing Studies"

Joanne Stacey
Acclaimed musician brings Songwriting 101 to OC Salmon Arm and Revelstoke

February 16, 2023

Have you ever had a song that you couldn’t get out of your head? An award-winning local musician is presenting a day-long introduction to the craft and joy of songwriting at Okanagan College in Salmon Arm and Revelstoke. Joanne Stacey has spent most of her life working in the music business as a performer, musician, recording artist, and songwriter. On Feb. 25 in Salmon Arm and again on March 11 in Revelstoke, Stacey will be pouring that lifetime of music industry experience and songwriting expertise into a new course: Songwriting 101. “Th...

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Student Keith Schmatlz standing in front of his professional truck.
Okanagan resident sharpens skills with Continuing Studies program

February 7, 2023

Vernon resident Keith Schmaltz spent most of his career working in the heavy-duty equipment industry. But after a nearly 40-year career, he decided he wanted to learn some new skills and continue that career in a related field. Enter Okanagan College’s Continuing Studies department, offering programs and courses to suit all different learning needs. Keith enrolled in the Professional Industry Driver program, offered by Okanagan College in collaboration with Taylor Pro Training and BC Forest Safety Council. The program is funded by the Gover...

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Hospitality Professional Program
Partnership helping to fill staffing gaps in hospitality and tourism industry

December 1, 2022

Like many industries, the hospitality and tourism sector has been hard hit by staff shortages over the past few years with a declining youth population and an aging workforce combining to create significant challenges. But a new program designed in partnership by Okanagan College (OC) and the Thompson Okanagan Tourism Association (TOTA) will help to reduce those shortages. The first of four new cohorts of students enrolled in the Hospitality Professional Program this fall, a flexible program open to students anywhere in the Thompson-Okana...

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Students learn in the sound booth
OC’s Audio Engineering and Music Production students perform first live concert in two years

April 4, 2022

For the first time in two years, Okanagan College’s Audio Engineering and Music Production (AEMP) Certificate students will perform on stage to a live audience.  “The students have put in tremendous effort into shaping their skills for all areas in audio. The event will showcase the individual talent each student brings, while they work as a team to create a full production of live sound,” says Chaianne Ellis, Audio Engineering and Music Production teaching assistant. “Throughout the year, getting to watch the students uncover unknown abil...

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Two Early Childhood Education students showcase their presentation during National Child Day
ECE department celebrates National Child Day

November 19, 2021

Education is a powerful tool to advocate for those who can't advocate for themselves, which was why Early Childhood Education (ECE) students spent National Child Day talking to peers about the difficulties children face in Canada and around the world. National Child Day is officially observed on Nov. 20, but ECE Instructor Rebecca Ayotte said she and her students wanted to do something this week to bring awareness not just in the ECE department, but throughout the College as well. The class set up presentations in the CFL Atrium in Kelowna ...

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LPN Jim Fishley
New LPN Orthopaedic Program at OC Set to Start in January 2022

September 22, 2021

Licensed Practical Nurses (LPNs) will have a learning option for advanced orthopaedic knowledge and skills that keeps them closer to home. The new LPN Orthopaedic Certificate offered at Okanagan College (OC) is the first of its kind in British Columbia. Launching in January 2022, the online certificate program is set to increase access to advanced orthopaedic education for nurses throughout the province and minimize travel requirements. “This program will meet the provincial need for a local solution for training opportunities to build t...

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Kailee McGuire, Audio Engineering and Music Production student
OC Audio Engineering and Music Production grad finds her groove through music during the pandemic

August 18, 2021

It didn’t take a pandemic for Kailee McGuire to realize that she should follow her lifelong passion for music. With her heart set on writing and releasing original music, McGuire decided to shadow an Audio Engineering and Music Production (AEMP) class at Okanagan College to get a feel for what the program was all about. After connecting with Instructor Corey Bell and AEMP students, McGuire was hooked. She was inspired by the energy of the class and felt connected to the students, sharing the same passion for music and desire to express them...

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Edible Garden
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 outside...

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GIS grad, Sarah Gravel
OC Advanced GIS grad dives deep into data to map shark population growth

June 18, 2021

When Sarah Gravel decided to sign up for geographic information systems (GIS) training, she was looking to broaden her skills in a way that would serve her Master of Marine Biology degree in a productive way. Now she is using those GIS mapping skills to understand the effects of climate change on sharks, rays and other fishes, along with developing models for population growth rates among those creatures. Okanagan College’s Advanced GIS Certificate program teaches students to structure, manage and analyze data within a map. The maps we’re...

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ACSW certificate graduate Shannon Peltier
OC Aboriginal Community Support Worker grad reflects on making a difference

March 31, 2021

Upcoming info sessions spotlight learning and career opportunities for students Shannon Peltier was inspired to train to provide support to Indigenous youth and families by her Nohkom (grandmother). She found that opportunity through the Aboriginal Community Support Worker Certificate program at Okanagan College. The Aboriginal Community Support Worker (ACSW) program is just one of the College’s Continuing Studies certificate programs on display during info sessions this spring. The virtual sessions are designed to provide students with th...

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Aja Zeniuk, Esthetics and Nail Technology graduate
College Esthetics grad lets creativity shine

January 20, 2021

Grads celebrate educational achievements with virtual ceremony Jan. 23. Aja Zenuik knew she had an artistic eye and wanted to apply her creativity to an industry that would keep her skills in demand in the Okanagan and beyond. She found that opportunity through the Esthetics and Nail Technology certificate program at Okanagan College. On Jan. 23, she will join more than 2,000 OC students being recognized during the College’s first-ever online convocation ceremony which celebrates the efforts of students graduating from June 2020 to this Ja...

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Medical Cannabis
OC partners with Durham and NorQuest Colleges to offer Medical Cannabis Essentials for Health Professionals

January 20, 2021

New course for health care providers explores rapidly-evolving medical cannabis use in Canada Okanagan College is partnering with Durham College (DC) in Oshawa, ON and NorQuest College in Edmonton, Alta. to deliver a two-day Medical Cannabis Essentials for Health Professionals course. Facilitated live online over the weekend of Feb. 6 and 7, this unique introductory course is aimed at new and experienced health care professionals across Canada seeking to better understand medical cannabis in the context of client-centered care. “Since addi...

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Student smiles at the camera while holding papers and a stop watch
Meet John Varga, Advanced GIS Certificate alumnus

November 26, 2020

Q: What was your program and month/year of graduation. A: The Advanced GIS Certificate, May 2019. Q: What is your hometown? A: Salmon Arm Q: What brought you to OC over any other school? Why did you come to study here of all places? A: I met the instructor in a social situation, and she told me about the program. She was knowledgeable and personable. Q: Did you bring any other post-secondary education or training with you when you came into your program? A: A Programmer Analyst dip...

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Melanie Stolz
College offers additional training for in-demand healthcare roles

November 5, 2020

Future students can explore these and other programs at Virtual Open House on Sunday, Nov. 8 If you think hand washing and keeping surfaces sanitized is a lot of work, talk to a medical device reprocessing technician. For individuals in this crucial role, it is a full-time job – one that keeps our hospitals and health care system functioning. Okanagan College is responding to the critical need for healthcare professionals with several additional program offerings this winter. One of these programs being explored is a January intake of the...

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Aerial view of Kelowna and Okanagan Lake
Hospitality training in Okanagan leads to tourism jobs

September 14, 2020

Published on behalf of the Ministry of Social Development and Poverty Reduction. See original release here. Up to 40 eligible British Columbians will be able to tap into a unique online training program at Okanagan College and gain work experience to prepare them for jobs in the hospitality industry, thanks to more than $611,000 in funding from the provincial government. “The tourism sector is resilient. We’re seeing evidence of that in the Okanagan and Shuswap as businesses begin to reopen,” said Shane Simpson, Minister of Social Developme...

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Continuing Studies Alumna Kayley Herman
College Perianesthesia Nursing grad juggles family and school, puts her skills to work on the frontline

September 8, 2020

For Kayley Herman, the last couple of years have been busy ones as she navigated going back to school at Okanagan College for advanced perianesthesia (PAR) training and welcoming a new baby. Herman, who worked as a PAR nurse in Saskatchewan before moving to B.C., needed to gain proper certification for PAR work in the province. She applied for and received educational funding through Interior Health to complete that training at OC. “My journey with the training was unique because I completed the theory portion of the course while I was pre...

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