OCNews

Collaboration & Partnerships

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 wo...

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Scotia Bank Donation
Scotiabank makes $250,000 investment in youth skill building at Okanagan College

May 31, 2022

The donation will support gateway programs focused on technology and entrepreneurship for students who have faced barriers to education Kelowna Secondary School Grade 12 student Kiana Nazembokaei has known for several years that she’s wanted to study computer programming. Having moved to Canada from Iran, Nazembokaei thought she’d have to wait until university to begin her learning journey. That all changed when she signed up and was accepted into Gateway to Tech, presented by Scotiabank, at Okanagan College. The 17-week program is designed...

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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 critical thinkin...

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Early Childhood Educator working with children
Conference to discuss outdoor learning in Early Childhood Education programs

May 6, 2022

How does being outdoors help children’s cognitive and social development?   The involvement of outdoor pedagogy in college programs will be discussed during a virtual conference on May 16, that will bring together Early Childhood Education (ECE) instructors and outdoor play experts from across the country.  Okanagan College, in collaboration with Bow Valley College, Saskatchewan Polytechnic and New Brunswick Community College, and colleagues at the YMCA and the University of Fraser Valley will host a conference called Outdoor Pedagogy: Chan...

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Culinary Team BC
Okanagan College proudly presents the Gold Medal Banquet fundraiser

May 4, 2022

Fundraising has never been so tasty. Okanagan College is partnering with Culinary Team B.C. and Junior Culinary Team Canada to present a banquet worthy of a gold medal, to raise funds for the teams to compete at the Culinary World Cup in Luxembourg this coming November.    Culinary Team BC will be cooking its community catering menu during a special fundraising dinner hosted at Okanagan College’s Kelowna campus on May 27. OC Culinary Arts students will assist the provincial and junior teams as they prepare this world-class dinner.    “Welco...

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Jesse Lipscombe
Annual applied research expo shines spotlight on inclusivity

May 2, 2022

As society emerges from a post-pandemic world, now is the perfect time to get those creative juices going for innovation. Okanagan College is set to host the Research Innovation Partnerships Expo (RIPE) on Tuesday, May 10 – a free event for community members, industry, educators, researchers and students to network and learn about the impact of applied research. Presentations cover a range of topics, from podcasting and applied research innovation, supporting inclusive workplaces, microplastics in Okanagan lake, engaging in education with y...

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Microplastics
Community collaboration studies microplastics in Okanagan Lake

March 21, 2022

In what they hope will be a watershed moment for raising awareness of microplastics and their impact on both our local freshwater and downstream environments, several community partners and Okanagan College (OC) students have teamed up to determine if there are microplastics in Okanagan Lake and municipal wastewater. Kelowna residents Gregg Howald, Ryan Cope, and Jan Vozenilek all witnessed plastic pollution’s devastating global reach, and impact on the marine wildlife while at Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge. From their shared experi...

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Outdoor Play
Experience limitless adventure during free outdoor play day

February 18, 2022

Do you know a child who loves to stomp in the mud, look under rocks to see what crawly creatures might be living underneath or challenge themselves to walk the tightrope of a fallen log? Children will have a unique opportunity to express their creativity and engage their sense of wonder at an upcoming outdoor playday on Saturday, March 5 from 9:30 – 11:30 a.m. at Okanagan College’s Kelowna campus. The outdoor play day is being hosted by Okanagan College in collaboration with Bow Valley College, Saskatchewan Polytechnic, New Brunswick Commun...

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REES
Okanagan College launches online reporting for campus sexual violence

February 3, 2022

Okanagan College has partnered with REES (Respect, Educate, Empower Survivors), a 24-hour, seven-day-a-week centralized online reporting and information platform that provides increased options for students and employees to report campus sexual harassment, misconduct and assault. REES includes multiple reporting options and critical information about resources and supports available both on campus and in community. “While our sincerest hope is that no Okanagan College student will ever have need to use this platform, sadly we know that se...

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Gixtaala Nation carpentry grad
OC supports Gitxaala Nation with vital trades training for economic and cultural growth

January 24, 2022

In one northern village, Indigenous cultural needs and massive construction projects combined to create demand for specialized Okanagan College Trades training to support community members. Located on the north coast of British Columbia, the Gitxaala Nation’s main community is in Kitkatla. It identified the need for skilled trades people several years ago, as projects such as the LNG Canada in Kitimat and port expansion in Prince Rupert were announced. But it was a smaller project closer to home that inspired Gitxaala Nation to empower its ...

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Logos of SAIT, Kanaka Bar Indian Band and Okanagan College
Partners launch resilient housing solutions project at Kanaka Bar to assist with rebuild of fire-ravaged Lytton, B.C., region

January 13, 2022

Kanaka Bar Indian Band, SAIT, Okanagan College, Foresight Canada and Seko Construction partner to harness innovation to provide options for the rebuild of the region Kanaka Bar, B.C. (Jan. 13, 2022) — Patrick Michell, Chief of the Kanaka Bar Indian Band, announced today they have entered into an agreement with the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology (SAIT) on a pilot project focused on climate-resilient housing options for evacuees who lost their homes in the June 30, 2021 Lytton, B.C., wildfire. The project is expected to reveal susta...

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OC's Finance Club
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 launch...

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Candlelight Vigil text overlay on an image of candles lit in the background
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 wome...

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Two people checking into a hotel handing a credit card to hotel staff standing at a desk
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 oppor...

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Four Food Chiefs Sculpture
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 a ...

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Kelly Terbasket
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.                                                                          ------------ As a person of mixed heritage, I've always felt the divide between cultures and wanted to be part of bridging awareness a...

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