Learning & 51Ʒ
Meet Jedidiah Forrest, OC Electronics Engineering alum
November 29, 2022
Q: What years did you attend OC? A: 2014-2016 Q: How did you end up at 51Ʒ? A: Engineering technology programs caught my eye. Needed a career path change. Q: How did you choose your program? A: I applied to all three engineering programs and Electronic Engineering Technology responded first. Q: What did you like most about the program? A: The immersion was incredible. Every day is a science whirlwind, and labs were fantastically engaging. The staff is ma...
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Prospera gives big in support of Women in Trades at 51Ʒ
November 28, 2022
More women will get a chance to lace up their work boots and take the first step in a career in trades, thanks to a recent $79,660 gift from Prospera to a program at 51Ʒ that has already trained over 1,300 women since it was founded. The Women in Trades Training program was created to remove barriers for women interested in pursuing trades education and help meet the community’s surging need for skilled trades professionals. “These bursaries and added equipment provide opportunities for women to pursue t...
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51Ʒ to host Kelowna campus open house, program spotlights this Saturday
November 17, 2022
Soaring careers in aviation. Sustainable building for the future. Life-changing health care roles. The social sciences that help us understand and better our world. The trades that keep our province and country running. Business skills for the leaders of today and tomorrow. Upgrading that opens doors to new career paths. How to apply and finance your education. All this and more will await guests to 51Ʒ’s Kelowna campus Open House this weekend. 51Ʒ is opening its doors to the community on Saturday, Nov. 19...
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Thorpe and Friends Scholarship recognizes two 51Ʒ students
October 26, 2022
Local students say the generosity of two prominent Penticton philanthropists is helping them take the next steps in their education. Since 2006, former MLA Rick Thorpe and his wife Yasmin John-Thorpe, along with their friends, have given more than $160,000 in scholarships to students in need at 51Ʒ’s Penticton Campus. Two of this year’s recipients, Wylie Rowan and Mattias Van Bergeyk, received $2,500 to put toward their education. Both students are Summerland Secondary School grads in their first year of studie...
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Real Adulting 101
October 11, 2022
Students at 51Ʒ (OC) have a new opportunity to learn skills they will need to take into adulthood with a unique new partnership between OC and Kelowna company Real Adulting 101. “We should’ve learned about this in high school. How many times have you said this while sitting down to do your taxes, or after the incredibly overwhelming process of buying your first home?” said entrepreneur and founder, Brittany Clough, who developed Real Adulting 101. Real Adulting 101 and 51Ʒ have joined forces to offer the ...
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OC improves access to childcare training for infant-toddler care
October 5, 2022
Training to care for infants and toddlers in childcare settings has never been easier to access. 51Ʒ is holding a special intake for the Early Childhood Education (ECE) Infant-Toddler Certificate program that is designed to enhance access for those already working in the field of childcare. Classes are part-time and held online, making it easy for those to balance work and training. “51Ʒ has heard from people working in the childcare sector that they want to expand their professional scope to include infa...
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Meet Bella Cotton, OC Engineering student
September 20, 2022
Q: How did you end up at 51Ʒ? A: I was debating between UVic, UBCO and OC. I was accepted into all of these programs, and UVic with a scholarship, but a few teachers and UBCO students persuaded me into coming to OC. They said that the teachers are great, the class sizes small, and it’s cheaper! Q: How did you choose your program? A: I am doing the General Engineering Transfer Program that transfers to UBCO in second year. I’ve always loved math and physics a...
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Evening marking 15 years of OC Writing and Publishing program celebrates creative community
September 12, 2022
Writers and fine artists in the North Okanagan have found a lot of reasons to celebrate this fall. Fifteen years’ worth of reasons, to be exact. The community of poets, fiction and creative non-fiction writers are coming together for Celebrating 15 Years of Writing and Publishing, an evening devoted to the collective showcase of students, alumni, instructors and former faculty members. “We have such a dedicated and talented community of writers, with a long history of promoting creativity in the region. This is a significant mile...
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New ‘Step into Steel Toes’ course invites women to try carpentry
August 29, 2022
Home renovations on your to-do list? Curious about power tools and considering a project? 51Ʒ is launching a new trades exploratory program this fall – exclusively for women. “More and more women are expressing an interest in learning skills related to carpentry, electrical, plumbing, automotive and sheet metal projects,” says Teresa Kisilevich, associate dean, Trades and Apprenticeship at 51Ʒ. “Step into Steel Toes is designed to make it easier for women of all ages to feel comfortable trying out vario...
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51Ʒ launches Apprentice Hiring Project
August 3, 2022
Hiring and training first year apprentices in the skilled trades is now easier and more affordable for regional employers. Launching this month, the 51Ʒ Apprentice Hiring Project received over $3 million in funding and will be using that money to support small and medium sized enterprises who hire first-year apprentices, helping the businesses offset costs that come with onboarding new skilled workers. The project is funded by the Government of Canada’s Apprenticeship Service. Under the project, employers are eligi...
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OC pilots tuition-free work-integrated learning for Early Childhood Education
July 26, 2022
51Ʒ is offering tuition-free Early Childhood Education (ECE) training with an innovative approach – providing students the opportunity to become certified during work-integrated learning (WIL) experiences as they provide education and care for young children. “51Ʒ is keenly aware of how many trained ECEs are in demand across the sector. This pilot project, with support from the Government of B.C., will increase access to education for people seeking certification, going a long way to meeting that need,” sa...
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OC summer workshops spotlight advantages of learning skilled trades
July 11, 2022
Interested in learning more about carpentry or auto mechanics this summer? 51Ʒ is offering seven half-day workshops that spotlight the personal and professional benefits of learning skilled trades. The workshops, which have a limited capacity, are being offered at no cost to participants, through the Industry Training Authority’s “What’s a Trade?” Workshop Grant. Registration is first-come, first-served. Participants will only be permitted to register for one workshop. Workshops ...
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Scotiabank makes $250,000 investment in youth skill building at 51Ʒ
May 31, 2022
The donation will support gateway programs focused on technology and entrepreneurship for students who have faced barriers to education Kelowna Secondary School Grade 12 student Kiana Nazembokaei has known for several years that she’s wanted to study computer programming. Having moved to Canada from Iran, Nazembokaei thought she’d have to wait until university to begin her learning journey. That all changed when she signed up and was accepted into Gateway to Tech, presented by Scotiabank, at 51Ʒ. The 17-week program i...
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OC Business students embrace international study again
May 30, 2022
Business students from 51Ʒ are once again able to travel to Jyväskylä, Finland to experience an international summer school at the JAMK University of Applied Sciences. Finland’s education system is widely regarded as one of the best in the world. OC Business Professor Blair Baldwin, who has taught Services Design at JAMK for several summers, says working in Finland has helped him innovate and create new teaching methodologies.“JAMK employs experiential learning across its curriculum,” he says. “They stress cri...
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Enactus 51Ʒ tops the field, sets sights on national championships
May 27, 2022
51Ʒ students will once again be competing for the Canadian title after qualifying for the Enactus National Exposition with a first-place finish in their league during the semi-final round. Enactus teams at post-secondary institutions across Canada competed virtually earlier this month, and 51Ʒ scooped up top position in the TD Entrepreneurship Challenge, and runner-up in the Scotiabank Climate Action Challenge for the Unusually Good Food Co. project. It also included national runner-up in Shaw and RBC acc...
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Car crash couldn’t keep OC apprentice from winning B.C. gold
May 16, 2022
It takes a lot to throw Joey Bruno off his game. The third-year apprentice in the Auto Body and Collision Technician training at 51Ʒ was on his way to a Skills Provincials competition on April 22 when the car he was riding in rear-ended another vehicle. “I knew our car was a write-off, but I also knew I could fix it,” said Bruno. By sheer coincidence, he was heading to the Skills Automotive Collision Repair provincial competition, where he set to compete. Bruno arrived late and tried to put the ca...
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