FortisBC Contributes $42,000 to Okanagan College’s New Trades Training Centre

Apr 15, 2018

FortisBC’s $42,000 gift for the new Vernon campus Trades Training Centre will support the facility, provide students with state-of-the-art equipment, and help the college deliver training on the latest techniques in energy efficient construction.

An additional $10,000 gift-in-kind of gas meters will provide electrician and plumbing students with opportunities to train using equipment they’ll encounter out in the industry.

FortisBC’s Conservation and Energy Management group is also contributing $12,000 to support curriculum development that will allow the College to deliver training on energy-efficient construction techniques.

“The demand for skilled tradespeople is increasing at FortisBC and in the energy industry, so having this high level of training in Vernon is good for our organization and for the region in general,” says Gary Fillingham, Fortis BC Operations Manager, Interior South.

Construction is well underway on the 13,450 square-foot training complex and on track to complete in early summer. Trades students currently train in a leased facility off-campus and will begin programs in the new facility in August.

The $6.2 million state-of-the-art building will have the capacity to train approximately 150 students per year.

The project is being supported through the federal government’s Post-Secondary Institutions Strategic Investment Fund. The province of B.C. is investing $2.9 million and the government of Canada has provided $2.7 million. Okanagan College and the Okanagan College Foundation is fundraising for the remainder of the project cost and to provide program and student bursaries and scholarships that will help increase access to training.

For more information on the new training hub visit okanagan.bc.ca/brighthorizons.