BCIT Announces $33M in Funding for New Trades and Technology Complex Showcasing Industry Support

September 22, 2023

The British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT) has announced a milestone of $33 million in funding towards a new state-of-the-art Trades and Technology Complex. The Trades and Technology Complex will increase access for students pursuing a trades and technology education and career, which will help the Province of BC meet the demand for an estimated 85,000 new trades jobs expected over the next 10 years. Contributions from over 45 organizations and individuals towards the construction of the Trades and Technology Complex demonstrates the incredible connectivity and collaboration between BCIT and industry.

The $220 million Trades and Technology Complex will provide an adaptive, innovative, and flexible learning environment through leading-edge, energy-efficient, sustainable design. The Complex will have capacity for 700 new full-time student spots annually, alleviating waitlists, and delivering the trades training needed to meet the labour needs of the province. The Complex will serve as a living lab where students from different disciplines–such as engineering, architecture and construction – interact, collaborate, and undertake projects together.

The Trades and Technology Complex will allow BCIT to offer significantly more in-person training and increase delivery of immersive training for specialized areas, including mass timber construction and net-zero buildings. It will also increase capacity for designing and delivering effective online training through simulation labs and sophisticated technology-enabled classrooms. Through the Complex, BCIT will continue to champion equitable and accessible trades education for all students, prioritizing inclusive learning environments.

Key spaces within the Complex will include the Concert Properties Centre for Trades and Technology, the Robert Bosa Carpentry Pavilion, and the Marine and Mass Timber Workshop.

Features for advancing education through the Trades and Technology Complex will include:

• Four covered work yards
• Simulation-based learning areas
• Cross-disciplinary sim labs for trades and technology collaboration
• Power engineering sim lab–Kongsberg system
• Welding simulation lab
• Industrial network sim lab–industry partnership space
• Media centre lab–for remote/ online/ narrowcasting education delivery
• Maker space
• Classrooms, student commons, demonstration, observation, auxiliary and atrium spaces

More than 45 BC industry leaders and individuals across a range of sectors, including development, electrical, engineering, mining and forestry, have contributed funds through BCIT’s INSPIRE Campaign, the largest fundraising campaign in the Institute’s history. Donors include organizations such as Concert Properties, Bosa Construction, Wesgroup, Wheaton Precious Metals, Polygon Homes and more. Donor participation in this project has included financial support as well as involvement in the development of programming to directly meet industry needs.

The INSPIRE Campaign aims to raise a total of $125 million in private-sector contributions, which, together with Government of BC funding, supports the long-term redevelopment plan for the BCIT Burnaby Campus valued at over $680 million.

List of donors involved in the announcement:

• Concert Properties
• Bosa Construction
• Teck
• AES Engineering
• Allwest Electric Ltd.
• Anthem Properties Group Ltd.
• Binational Softwood Lumber Council
• Binnie
• Bosa Development
• Bridge Electric Corporation
• Canfor
• Chard Development Ltd.
• CIMS Ltd.
• EllisDon Corporation
• Finning Canada
• FortisBC
• Graham Trafford
• Hampton Lumber
• Ideal Welders Ltd.
• Interfor
• Keith Panel Systems
• Klohn Crippen Berger Ltd.
• Lark Group
• McElhanney
• Mosaic Forest Management
• Mott Electric GP
• Paper Excellence
• PCI Developments
• PCL Constructors Westcoast Inc.
• Peter Kiewit Sons ULC
• Peterson
• Polygon Homes
• RDH Building Science Inc.
• Senez Consulting Ltd.
• The Jack and Darlene Poole Foundation
• Tolko
• Toro Aluminum Group of Companies
• Townline Homes
• Wesgroup Properties
• West Fraser
• Wheaton Precious Metals