Articles tagged "Trades"
RBC, local experts offer up virtual financial advice for students
November 6, 2020
ʪƵ trades students will have a unique opportunity later this month to ask questions of local experts and learn how they can build a strong financial foundation. Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) is hosting Business Planning for Trades, a virtual panel discussion geared toward students currently training for a career in the trades at the College. Panelists include: Jason Williamson, Commercial Account Manager with RBC (previously a small business account manager and has worked with clients through all stages of their business) ...
Read more...
Pandemic teaches importance of caring for one another
August 21, 2020
Eric Pruijs was in the first month of his Aircraft Maintenance Technician (AMT) program when COVID-19 resulted in classes being cancelled temporarily and quickly moved online. “I felt alone when this was happening,” recalls Eric, who had saved up to take the program but still planned on working part-time to get by. “I was worried about my finances and how it was going to work out. I needed to find ways to support myself.” Eric considered leaving the program to focus on finding w...
Read more...
OC Culinary Arts program Serves Up meals for students in need
July 9, 2020
It’s an example of students helping students that is sure to warm hearts and bellies. With the support of RBC Royal Bank of Canada, the ʪƵ Students’ Union (OCSU) and Sysco, ʪƵ’s Culinary and Pastry Arts students are launching an innovative new program designed to hone their skills while providing nutritious meals for fellow students who are struggling financially. When the pandemic hit B.C. earlier this spring, OC’s training kitchens went dark. Students and instructors donated food to the Kelowna Food Bank as...
Read more...
Meet Adam Relvas
April 16, 2020
Adam Relvas, who took Professional Cook Apprenticeship, level 2 and 3 at the College in 2006, grew up in the South Okanagan and gained a passion for food through many food-focused family events. After graduating, Relvas worked as a line cook for Waterfront Wines in Kelowna, Sous Chef at Ricardo’s Mediterranean Kitchen in Lake Country, Sous Chef at the Hotel Eldorado in Kelowna, and later Executive Chef at Monashee’s Bar and Grill and The Kal’s Sports Bar in Vernon. Now, the cer...
Read more...
College Culinary Arts program drops off donation to food bank
March 24, 2020
See a need, fill a need. This is exactly what ʪƵ’s Culinary Arts department did earlier this week as culinary classes came to an unexpected halt in mid-March due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Tallying the vast amount of ingredients that would have been utilized in student labs and cafeteria plates, instructors gathered as much as they could and delivered it to the Central Okanagan Community Food Bank. Initiated by Ross Derrick, interim Culinary Arts instructor and chef at Cod Fathers Market and Kelsey Oudendag, Culinary Arts in...
Read more...
RV Technician training proves to be a dream choice for OC student
March 9, 2020
Imagine constructing a building using WhatsApp. This was Kartik Choudhury’s reality, as he made the decision to build and sell a property of land in his homeland of India. The funds he earned from the property would propel his future in a way he never could have imagined, ultimately helping him pursue a new dream as a student in the Recreation Vehicle Service Technician Foundation program at ʪƵ. Three years ago, Choudhury knew he wanted to get into trades. A businessman living in Calgary at the time, a switch in career and t...
Read more...
Making mentors: OC Women in Trades and Willowstone Academy students learn and build together
March 6, 2020
Sometimes a finished carpentry project turns out to be far more than the sum of its parts, when the tools, techniques and materials combine to create something unforgettable and transformative. The same goes for educational experiences, as demonstrated by a recent event that brought together students from Willowstone Academy and ʪƵ’s Women in Trades Training (WITT) program, with support from the Industry Training Authority (ITA). On Thursday, March 5 a class of WITT students arrived in the early hours of the morning to prep ...
Read more...
Pushing the green building envelope: builders and educators working together
February 19, 2020
ʪƵ, UBC, City of Kelowna co-host net zero life cycle workshop Workshops often involve questions and answers; this one focused on the real-world queries and solutions that may unlock a greener future for us all. ʪƵ, the University of British Columbia Okanagan (UBC Okanagan), the City of Kelowna and a host of industry partners convened in Kelowna at the Innovation Centre on Tuesday. Building Net Zero was a one-day workshop designed to bring together building and energy innovators to tackle an ambitious green ag...
Read more...
Swinging clubs to hammers: How a golf pro’s home renos inspired his program choice at ʪƵ
January 30, 2020
It’s easy to say that Greg Forbes went from looking for a hole in one, to drilling several holes in many. After growing up playing golf in Oakville, Forbes earned a golf scholarship to study at Coastal Carolina University, playing at storied courses at Myrtle Beach in South Carolina. He completed his Bachelor of Business Science degree with a major in marketing, returning to Canada to tee off a career with retail giant Golf Town that ultimately brought him to Kelowna. “I had been opening stores across Ontario, and the opportunity came up ...
Read more...
Gateway graduation showcases student transformation
January 29, 2020
This is the second time Caleb Wykes has graduated from Gateway to Trades, but it's hard to say which time has been more impactful. The first time Wykes took the 10-week program that introduces high school students to the skilled trades, he graduated with a desire to “straighten up.” In the past Wykes would skip school, but after Gateway he started showing up regularly and working hard. The seventeen year old completed his Grade 11 and 12 and graduated early. The second time through the program Wykes benefited from getting an opportunity t...
Read more...
OC Culinary Arts debuts Indigenous-inspired feature menu for Dine Around
January 8, 2020
Infusions Restaurant at ʪƵ will once again be a can’t miss stop for anyone looking to sip, savour and save as part of Dine Around Thompson Okanagan this month. OC Chefs-in-training and chef instructors have designed a menu that not only showcases Okanagan ingredients but also incorporates aspects of traditional Syilx-Okanagan culinary knowledge and practices. “This year we’ve added a selection of Indigenous fare, along with other daily features, to provide a culinary experience that is truly unique to the region,” explains ...
Read more...Trades students put their skills to work building locker rooms for OC Coyotes
November 8, 2018
ʪƵ Media Release ʪƵ’s men’s and women’s basketball teams will tip off their sophomore season later this month and they’ll do so with some new amenities thanks to the handiwork of their fellow students. A class of 13 Grade 10-12 students from School District 23 were the first to contribute to the project, honing their framing and other carpentry skills recently in the space, which is under construction at Kelowna Christian Academy School located on Hollywood Road South. That class is the first of its kind in t...
Read more...College’s Vernon Trades Training Centre earns commercial building award
September 26, 2018
ʪƵ Media Release ʪƵ’s new Trades Training Centre in Vernon, which opened its doors to students last month, is already being recognized for its innovative construction. The centre took home the Institutional Award at the 10th Annual Thompson Okanagan Kootenay Commercial Building Awards held on Thursday, Sept. 20 in Kelowna, presented by MNP LLP, RE/MAX Commercial and the Southern Interior Construction Association (SICA). This year’s event saw a record-tying 37 finalists competing for honours in a host ...
Read more...
College powers up new welding building in Penticton
August 20, 2018
Welders training in the South Okanagan now have a state-of-the-art new shop in which to spark their torches and test their metal. ʪƵ officials, students, industry partners and community members gathered at the Penticton campus today to mark the opening of the College’s new $2.2-million, 465-square-metre (5,000 square ft.), welding facility. Among them was a class of 16 Welder Foundation students, who, under the tutelage of instructor Mark Stathers, will be the first to train in the facility. The shop they’ll soon step into i...
Read more...
College opens new Trades Training Centre in Vernon
August 7, 2018
A class of Plumbing and Piping Foundation trades students were the first to step through the doors of the newly completed Trades Training Centre at ʪƵ’s Vernon campus at 7 a.m. this morning. A few hours later, they helped to officially open the space where they will hone their trade. Stephen Fuhr, Member of Parliament for Kelowna - Lake Country and The Hon. Melanie Mark, Minister of Advanced Education, Skills and Training joined ʪƵ President Jim Hamilton and other College officials, donors, industry and co...
Read more...With help from federal government and donors, new Trades Training House opens at ʪƵ
May 15, 2018
ʪƵ Media Release The next generation of carpenters, plumbers, and electricians are stepping into a state-of-the-art new training space at ʪƵ this week thanks to investment from the Government of Canada, the College and a host of industry and community partners. Stephen Fuhr, Kelowna-Lake Country Member of Parliament, visited the Kelowna campus on Tuesday to officially open the College’s new Trades Training House. The 2,700 square-foot facility is designed to simulate a real-world jobsite that will constantly c...
Read more...