Post-secondary education expanding for students on the Westshore (flickr.com)

Media Contacts

Lindsay Byers

Press Secretary
Office of the Premier
Lindsay.Byers@gov.bc.ca

Ministry of Advanced Education and Skills Training

Media Relations
250 508-5030

Royal Roads University

250 882-3481

University of Victoria

250 721-7636

Camosun College

250 516-8754

Justice Institute of British Columbia

778 866-5733

Backgrounders

What people are saying about the Westshore campus

Kevin Hall, president, University of Victoria –

“We are glad to be able to bring more education options to the Greater Victoria area, including sought-after UVic programming, such as computer science, engineering and humanities. This collaborative campus is a new and promising model of delivering programming that meets community demand and serves the needs of Westshore students and the region.”

Lane Trotter, president, Camosun College –

“A new Westshore campus breaks down physical barriers to accessing high-quality education closer to home for students living in the region. Camosun has been offering courses at many locations in the Westshore for a number of years, such as Belmont Secondary school where over 600 students have already taken our programs. The college’s focus in the Westshore is currently on delivering university-transfer classes, adult upgrading courses and educational assistant training. New space will allow the college to add diploma and certificate programming in computer systems technology, early learning and care, and health-care assistance.”

Michel Tarko, president, Justice Institute of British Columbia (JIBC) –

“We are pleased to have a new campus location to call home on Vancouver Island, where we can continue to offer our world-class training in paramedicine – emergency medical responder, primary care paramedic and advanced-care paramedic programs – as well as professional development courses in public safety fields, such as emergency management. The new JIBC facilities will be purpose-built and cost-effective, and allow us to potentially offer expanded programming to help meet labour market demands.”

Mitzi Dean, MLA for Esquimalt-Metchosin 

“With how quickly our Westshore communities are growing, there is no question that people will benefit from this new campus. This will reduce barriers so more people, including youth, across our communities can pursue higher education and skills training closer to home.”

Stew Young, mayor, City of Langford –

“Providing post-secondary opportunity for Langford youth has been a top priority for council for many years. This unique partnership will serve residents across the entire Westshore, will remove barriers to access and provide pathways to higher learning for all. As Langford densifies the downtown core and creates a walkable, modern city, the addition of the urban campus will complement that vision and bring even more vibrancy to our fast-growing community.”

Ravi Parmar, chair of the board of education, School District 62 (Sooke) –

“Like many others, I have first-hand experience commuting from Langford to the University of Victoria to complete my degree. Long commutes negatively impact students from a time management and a cost perspective. The addition of a collaborative post-secondary campus on the Westshore demonstrates a serious commitment to investing in the future needs of our community. It offers local students a viable option that removes some of the more traditional barriers of accessing post-secondary education, like finding a rental near campus or cumbersome daily commutes to attend classes. It’s an exciting opportunity for our secondary students to have a path to further education, right here at home.”

Connor Hogan, student, Belmont High school –

“As a high school student in Langford, we’re faced with quite a long commute if we want to go to school at UVic or at Camosun, and that can really affect our decision with what school we go to. When this new campus opens up, it will definitely help open some doors for us to study where we are, close to home.”