Public post-secondary education institutions in the Thompson Okanagan and Kootenay region are preparing students for in-demand careers in a wide variety of sectors that support a growing and prosperous British Columbia economy.

Thompson Okanagan and Kootenay public post-secondary institutions:

• College of the Rockies
• Nicola Valley Institute of Technology
• Okanagan College
• Selkirk College
• Thompson Rivers University
• University of British Columbia – Okanagan

Number of Students in 2014-15:

• 80,880 students enrolled in public post-secondary institutions in the Thompson Okanagan and Kootenay region, compared to 60,000 in 2002-03. This includes 5,850 international students enrolled in 2014-15, compared to 2,170 in 2002-03.

Credentials* awarded in 2014-15: 7,771, compared to 5,067 in 2003-04.

Investment in public post-secondary education:

• $219.6 million invested for operating costs at Thompson Okanagan and Kootenay public post-secondary institutions in 2016-17, an increase of 56.2% since 2001-02 when government invested $140.6 million.

Investment in campus facilities:

• $379 million invested to support 186 capital projects at post-secondary institutions in the Thompson Okanagan and Kootenay region since 2001-02. Examples include:
  • $5.8 million toward the total cost of the $11.2 million expansion of the Cranbrook campus of College of the Rockies. Officially opened in October 2010.
  • $9.1 million toward $9.8 million for trades expansion at the College of the Rockies.
  • $6.3 million toward academic / health expansion at the College of the Rockies.
  • $1.5 million toward $1.8 million for a new trades training facility at the Nicola Valley Institute of Technology. Officially opened in October 2015.
  • $9.1 million toward $28.1 million at Okanagan College to build Centre For Green Building Technologies and Campus Expansion to accommodate new programming around Green Construction and other trades.
  • $28 million toward $35.1 million for the replacement of the trades building at the Kelowna campus of Okanagan College. The project will be officially opened in September 2016.
  • $10.3 million toward $18.9 million for the renewal of the Trades Centre at the Silver King campus of Selkirk College. Slated for completion in 2017.
  • $7.4 million toward $20.2 million for the expansion of the existing Old Main Building to accommodate the school of law at the Kamloops campus of Thompson Rivers University. Officially opened in June 2014.
  • $12 million toward $15.2 million for Thompson River University’s Williams Lake campus replacements.
  • $18 million toward $29.6 million for construction of the Library Commons and First Nations House of Learning at Thompson River University.
  • $30.8 million for the new Health Sciences Complex at the Okanagan campus of the University of British Columbia to accommodate the southern medical program. Completed in September 2012.
  • $40.1 million toward $73.6 million for the expansion of the Engineering, Management and Education Buildings at the Okanagan campus of the University of British Columbia.
  • $45.9 million towards $62.3 million for Phases 1 and 2 expansion of the Arts and Sciences Building  at the Okanagan campus of the University of British Columbia.

* Credentials include certificates, diplomas and degrees