New Northern Lights College Trades Facility Offers Future-building Skills

Nov 11, 2018

The new trades training centre provides hands-on learning using industry-standard equipment. Apprenticeship programs, including electrician, aircraft maintenance engineering, and power engineering.

“Students, their families, local employers and community in the northeast are going to benefit from the new trades training centre in Dawson Creek,” says Melanie Mark, Minister of Advanced Education, Skills and Training. “The new facility that officially opens today means students can stay close to family and their community, without having to travel outside of the region. It’s also equipping those students with hands-on experience to begin their career and help us build the best BC.”

The official opening of the new $34.4-million trades training facility took place with Mark, alongside students, faculty and staff.

The project includes construction of a 3,995 square metre (43,000 square feet) trades facility that connects via an indoor walkway to the main building of the Dawson Creek campus. It replaces several old structures previously used by the college for trades training. The new building also provides physical capacity for up to 96 new full-time-equivalent spaces — a 33% increase. This will create better access for prospective trades students in NLC’s vast campus region across northern BC.

Over $14 million in funding was provided through the federal government’s Post-Secondary Institutions Strategic Investment Fund, and $16.4 million was provided by the province. The remaining $3.4 million was provided by NLC and donors.