The addition of 48 trades training seats at Okanagan College will increase student access to skills training in a range of high-demand careers, announced Melanie Mark, Minister of Advanced Education, Skills and Training, during a visit to the Kelowna campus.

Now that the Okanagan region is recovering from high water levels and spring flooding, provincial government staff are available to support local governments, businesses and residents in their recovery efforts.

Floodwaters and groundwater in many places in the Central Interior are expected to continue to rise, and the threat may not be over for some time.

A new animation diploma program at Okanagan College will give students the skills needed for careers in the animation industry in the Okanagan and support the growing B.C. tech sector.

Premier Christy Clark, along with representatives of the Government of Canada and the City of Kelowna, announced the official opening of the Okanagan Centre for Innovation.

Students at Okanagan College will be encouraged to explore co-op opportunities to support their career ambitions.

The Province is contributing $100,000 to expand business training for current and potential entrepreneurs in communities throughout B.C., including Kelowna, Kamloops and Cranbrook and surrounding areas.

Westbank First Nation will explore the possibility of installing rooftop solar panels to heat a portion of its community school and building centre thanks to a $20,380 investment from B.C.’s First Nations Clean Energy Business Fund.

Skilled-trades students in the Central Okanagan School District will benefit from a three-year, $15-million investment by the B.C. government to support youth trades programs with the purchase of new trades-training equipment.