For the first time on a British Columbia public post-secondary campus, work camp-style housing will be used to help meet the growing demand for student residences, providing valuable learning opportunities at the same time.

Work is already underway at the Terrace campus of Northwest Community College as the new accommodations are being prepared for a Sept. 8, 2015, move-in date for residents.

“Northwest Community College has introduced an innovative solution to meet the housing needs of students as well as providing them with an experiential learning perspective,” said Advanced Education Minister Andrew Wilkinson. “Giving students exposure to industry camp conditions prepares them for career opportunities in a range of sectors including oil and gas and LNG critical to our growing economy.”

Demand for student housing is high at Northwest Community College and this innovative housing solution opens the door to 49 more students to secure housing on the Terrace campus.

"This new facility will not only serve to begin meeting the demand for student housing, it will also play an important role linking students registered in trades to a living scenario that closely emulates the style of remote work camps serving large scale projects," said NWCC president Ken Burt.

While the housing is available to any student, preference will be given to trades students so they can experience first-hand what its like to live in a camp setting while they complete their education. The $400,000 housing facility has been made possible largely from a $375,000 contribution from the Ministry of Advanced Education, with the remaining funds coming from Northwest Community College.

The facilities include 49 single-occupancy rooms each with a bed, desk, refrigerator, closet space and drawers, a flat screen television, Wi-Fi access and individual climate control in the bedrooms including air conditioning for the hot summer months. In the winter months, residents will benefit from access through a heated, covered, all-weather walkway.

“This experiential learning environment will help ensure that our students in trades programs are ‘camp ready’ and positioned to better succeed should they find employment in a remote setting,” said Kerry Clarke, NWCC director of Facilities and Ancillary Services.

The work-style camp housing supports BC's Skills for Jobs Blueprint by preparing trades students for life in work camps located in rural locations throughout British Columbia.