British Columbia's post-secondary institutions provide the province's future health professionals with the hands-on experience they need to succeed in their chosen careers and provide the high-quality health care B.C. families deserve.

Now, thanks to a $5-million infusion from the Province, those students will continue to have access to the most cutting-edge health technology available.

Lab equipment must continually be updated to reflect what is being used currently in health-care facilities. This new investment will allow 22 post-secondary institutions around B.C. to refresh their labs by replacing and renewing health equipment so students can receive all the training they will need to provide safe and high-quality care to patients across the province.

Funding provided to northern and regional post-secondary institutions has the added benefit of ensuring that all B.C. students in health-care professions have the tools and training they need to succeed in the future.

B.C.'s post-secondary system is helping to provide faster, safer and better health care for individuals and families across British Columbia.

• Since 2001...

• The Province has provided more than $1 billion in health-related post-secondary funding to institutions across the province.
• More than 20,000 nursing credentials have been awarded, including over 17,000 new nurses and 2,000 advanced specialty credentials.
• The provincial government has funded more than 750 health-care assistant spaces throughout B.C., including almost 350 one-time spaces.
• The number of first-year medical school spaces in B.C. has doubled from 128 to 256. This will expand to 288 in 2011-12 with the start of the Southern Medical Program in Kelowna at UBC-Okanagan.
• The Province has invested more than $2 billion in student financial assistance, making post-secondary education more accessible for students across the province.

Learn More:

For information about student aid programs for post-secondary training, go to: http://www.aved.gov.bc.ca/studentaidbc

A backgrounder follows.

Contact:

Joanne Whittier
Communications Manager
Ministry of Advanced Education
250 952-6400
250 893-5650 (cell)

BACKGROUNDER

Funding has been allocated to each institution based on the institution's size and number of health education programs.

British Columbia Institute of Technology $625,260

Camosun College $338,485

Capilano University $58,521

College of New Caledonia $154,924

College of the Rockies $89,720

Douglas College $407,162

Justice Institute of British Columbia $144,772

Kwantlen Polytechnic University $189,752

Langara College $246,688

Nicola Valley Institute of Technology $10,818

North Island College $74,993

Northern Lights College $13,055

Northwest Community College $37,227

Okanagan College $173,257

Selkirk College $76,960

Thompson Rivers University $383,923

University of British Columbia (for UBC and UBCO) $878,073

University of Northern British Columbia $118,072

University of the Fraser Valley $146,796

University of Victoria $283,421

Vancouver Community College $331,612

Vancouver Island University $216,509

TOTAL $5,000,000