Collaboration & Partnerships
![OC honorary fellows for 2023.](/sites/default/files/styles/story_landscape/public/2023-06/oc-honorary-fellows-2023.jpg?h=10d202d3&itok=3fJOj2AN)
Recognizing extraordinary contributions: ʪƵ names Honorary Fellows for 2023
June 1, 2023
ʪƵ is bestowing its highest honour upon four esteemed residents this spring: Terry Flannigan, Dr. Silvina Mema, Michael Tindall, and Grant Stevens. These distinguished individuals have been selected as 2023 Honorary Fellows in recognition of their remarkable contributions to the fields of philanthropy, health care, community development, and aerospace. “As I reflect on the accomplishments of our honorees, I am struck by the transformative impact each has had on the community,” said ʪƵ President Dr. Neil Fassina....
Read more...![Former OC President Jim Hamilton in a portait photo.](/sites/default/files/styles/story_landscape/public/2023-05/jim_hamilton.jpg?h=6a7a2d6d&itok=b38QG3wS)
College honours Jim Hamilton with Distinguished Service Award
May 31, 2023
Despite retiring as president from ʪƵ in 2021, a role he held for 17 years, the impact Jim Hamilton had as a leader at OC and throughout the region continues to resonate for students, staff and in the community. In recognition of his service, OC will this year award him a Distinguished Service Award, which is presented to employees who have contributed in exemplary and significant ways to the College, and who are active in the broader OC community. “At the time of his retirement, Jim Hamilton was the longest-serving presiden...
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Enactus OC’s Unusually Good Food Co. expands to 19 cities
April 14, 2023
Student entrepreneurs from ʪƵ (OC) are taking their fight against food waste and food insecurity to more businesses throughout Western Canada, as their social enterprise the Unusually Good Food Co. is expanding. With the goal of donating one-million servings of apple chips to children, the Unusually Good Food Co. has formed a partnership with Loblaw Companies Limited, expanding to 19 cities in Western Canada with its line of apple juice. “This is so exciting for our social enterprise to be able to partner with such a well-kn...
Read more...![ECE Conference](/sites/default/files/styles/story_landscape/public/2023-04/ece_conference_2023.jpg?h=252f27fa&itok=teF0Y5J1)
Post-secondary partners to unite early childhood education faculty, policy groups, and others from across Canada to discuss outdoor pedagogy in college ECE programs
April 5, 2023
How does playing outdoors support children’s development and wellness? Why is outdoor play such a powerful conduit for learning? How can we advance curriculum in college programs to empower current and future early childhood educators (ECEs) to view outdoor play as an important part of the children’s day, in all kinds of weather? How are colleges integrating and advancing outdoor pedagogy in their ECE programs? These and other questions will be explored during a unique virtual conference next month that will bring together early childhood...
Read more...![Jillian Seronik](/sites/default/files/styles/story_landscape/public/2023-04/jillian_seronik.jpg?h=50d9ab18&itok=LXigMtG-)
Same studies, but worlds apart: OC student enriched by study abroad
April 4, 2023
For one ʪƵ student, studying abroad turned into an opportunity to learn new ways of preserving old traditions in one of the most fast-paced countries in the world. Jillian Seronik, a fourth-year Bachelor of Business Administration student from Kelowna, travelled to Nisshin, Japan, last term as part of ʪƵ’s mobility program. She had always wanted to do post-secondary studies abroad but her dream of international studies was put on hold by the COVID-19 pandemic. Still, she signed up for mobility updates in the o...
Read more...![A photo of the dignitaries showing their signed MOU's.](/sites/default/files/styles/story_landscape/public/2023-03/mou_1.jpg?h=cd57d808&itok=d9RSMBkz)
OC signs MOU with the Public Universities of the State of Queretaro in Mexico
March 9, 2023
ʪƵ has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Public Universities of the State of Queretaro in Mexico, an agreement that further develops and diversifies the College’s international education partnerships. ʪƵ President Neil Fassina signed the MOU on behalf of OC while the Deputy Minister of Higher Education for the State of Queretaro as well as representatives from each of seven post-secondary institutions signed for Mexico in a ceremony on Thursday March 2 at ʪƵ. The MOU lays the gro...
Read more...![Owner Greg Thompson and apprentice Fedir Solovei in front of the Vernon OC trades building.](/sites/default/files/styles/story_landscape/public/2023-03/thompson_and_sons_construction_-_greg_and_fedir-rework.jpg?h=5dc9785f&itok=TLVPuCQS)
OC’s Apprentice Hiring Project connects Ukrainian worker with welcoming environment
March 2, 2023
When Fedir Solovei and his family arrived in Vernon from Ukraine last year they were looking for a fresh start after escaping the harsh realities of the Russian invasion of his home country. Of the many hurdles Fedir was facing, finding employment was top of the list. Highly accomplished as an engineer in Ukraine, and with some experience in general construction, Fedir enjoys creating projects with wood and noted the difference in the use of wood in B.C construction practices. That interest led Fedir to apply for a position with Ve...
Read more...![A group of OC student in the RV Training program with new equipment donated from the community.](/sites/default/files/styles/story_landscape/public/2023-02/img_9021-rework.jpg?h=71976bb4&itok=hXr7ZPEx)
Community donations support College's trades facility
February 21, 2023
Two recent donations to ʪƵ’s trades training facility are a perfect example of how partnerships with the community continue to benefit students. People taking courses in ʪƵ’s RV Training program are benefitting from donations that allow them to work on equipment that is in use in the industry. GLP Canada and Atlas Trailer both donated an assortment of new appliances including hot water heaters, furnaces and range/oven to the RV Training program. “Thank you to our valued partners in the community ...
Read more...![Sustainable Development Challenge](/sites/default/files/styles/story_landscape/public/2023-02/sustainable_development_challenge.jpg?h=71976bb4&itok=2ihTLcdN)
College students mentoring high school peers for Sustainable Development Challenge
February 17, 2023
It’s students helping students tackle the biggest issues of our time. ʪƵ (OC) students have joined forces with youth leaders in Grades 8 to 12 in the Central Okanagan to provide mentorship on projects that will impact the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The high school teams are preparing for a local Sustainable Development Challenge event, inspired by the UN initiative, and are able to bounce their ideas and projects off OC students prior to the challenge finale later this month. VIDEO: OC students...
Read more...![Nonny Beer owners eat slices of pieces while sipping non-alcoholic beverages](/sites/default/files/styles/story_landscape/public/2023-02/nonny.jpg?h=30b17cf4&itok=YHIp8qde)
BC BTAC recommends client Nonny Beer for DryFeb Challenge
February 2, 2023
Thinking of joining Dry February this year, but struggle to say goodbye to beer for a month? The BC Beverage Technology Access Centre at ʪƵ is shining the spotlight on one of its clients, Nonny Beer, for its commitment to all the craft beer taste without the alcohol content. Nonny is brewed with traditional ingredients -- all natural with no preservatives -- and lacking the traditional downside of alcoholic beer. "My brother Leigh and I have had a lot of beers together ... because beers are fun. According to all the booze a...
Read more...![A welder in a previous Women of Steel program.](/sites/default/files/styles/story_landscape/public/2023-01/womenofsteel2.jpg?h=2a13b413&itok=1eQodjcm)
Women of Steel™: Forging Forward Program comes to Okanagan in partnership with ʪƵ and CWB Welding Foundation
January 16, 2023
ʪƵ is launching a new program designed specifically to encourage women to consider a career in welding this winter/spring. The Women of Steel™: Forging Forward Program, supported by the CWB Welding Foundation, is being offered in just 14 locations across Canada. As one of the host sites, students who choose OC will not only gain skills related to welding, but will also have opportunities that foster education, personal growth, confidence, and experiential learning. “We continue to look for new opportunities that will...
Read more...![Construction Craft Worker](/sites/default/files/styles/story_landscape/public/2023-01/ccw_web.jpg?h=ff82c3fe&itok=BNFzKwJ8)
ʪƵ launches sponsored trades training opportunity to help open doors, create job-ready workers in Salmon Arm
January 6, 2023
Students with limited or no previous experience in trades can access training that will lead to employment and future careers in construction, thanks to a program that starts at the end of January at ʪƵ’s Salmon Arm campus. ʪƵ will be offering an intake of the Construction Craft Worker program starting on Jan. 30 at the College’s Salmon Arm Trades Centre. “This new program is supporting students to gain the skills they need now, helping them get good jobs in industries where communities need them,” said Selina...
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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 ʪƵ (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-Oka...
Read more...![Two men in wheeled mobility aids in a classroom](/sites/default/files/styles/story_landscape/public/2022-11/praxis6.jpg?h=6eebd6a3&itok=gvJZMRPa)
Lived experience lands in Therapist Assistant classroom
November 29, 2022
Students in the Therapist Assistant Diploma (TAD) program took a deep dive into the lived experiences of those with spinal cord injury, thanks to a community partnership. Guest speakers from the Praxis Spinal Cord Institute attended the class last week. Praxis is a Canadian-based, non-profit that leads global collaboration in spinal cord injury research, innovation, and care. James Hektner, PLEX Community Liaison and Shannon Rockall, OT Clinical Liaison with Praxis Spinal Cord Institute, presented up-to-date statistics, research and best p...
Read more...![Second Slumber representatives standing on a stage during Dragon's Den screening.](/sites/default/files/styles/story_landscape/public/2022-10/600x400-Second%20Slumber.jpg?h=252f27fa&itok=95yfkBpb)
Local company partners with OC for Dragons’ Den viewing party
October 24, 2022
ʪƵ and Kelowna company Second Slumber have partnered to host a fundraiser and viewing party when Second Slumber appears on the popular CBC TV show Dragons’ Den on Nov. 3. Earlier this year, Second Slumber pitched its innovative business model to Dragons’ Den, looking for a funding partner to scale up its business, which re-purposes and re-sells lightly used mattresses, providing them at affordable rates and keeping them out of landfills. The company features former ʪƵ professor Rick Maddison and several OC stud...
Read more...![Enactus Oct 2022](/sites/default/files/styles/story_landscape/public/2022-10/enactus_oct_2022_web.jpg?h=252f27fa&itok=1sJ10SqC)
Okanagan Enactus team off to Worlds
October 21, 2022
After claiming the National championship, the Enactus ʪƵ team will travel to Enactus World Cup 2022 in Puerto Rico later this month. For Penticton-based student Jon Talastas, the opportunity brings a chance to showcase a locally-grown idea on the world stage. From Oct. 30 – Nov. 2, OC’s Enactus team will compete against national champions from 30 other countries on projects that use entrepreneurship and innovation to solve the world’s biggest challenges. Enactus ʪƵ’s award-winning project – Unusually Goo...
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