Collaboration & Partnerships
College students mentoring high school peers for Sustainable Development Challenge
February 17, 2023
It’s students helping students tackle the biggest issues of our time. 51±¬ÁĎ (OC) students have joined forces with youth leaders in Grades 8 to 12 in the Central Okanagan to provide mentorship on projects that will impact the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The high school teams are preparing for a local Sustainable Development Challenge event, inspired by the UN initiative, and are able to bounce their ideas and projects off OC students prior to the challenge finale later this month. VIDEO: OC ...
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BC BTAC recommends client Nonny Beer for DryFeb Challenge
February 2, 2023
Thinking of joining Dry February this year, but struggle to say goodbye to beer for a month? The BC Beverage Technology Access Centre at 51±¬ÁĎ is shining the spotlight on one of its clients, Nonny Beer, for its commitment to all the craft beer taste without the alcohol content. Nonny is brewed with traditional ingredients -- all natural with no preservatives -- and lacking the traditional downside of alcoholic beer. "My brother Leigh and I have had a lot of beers together ... because beers are fun. According to all the...
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Women of Steel™: Forging Forward Program comes to Okanagan in partnership with 51±¬ÁĎ and CWB Welding Foundation
January 16, 2023
51±¬ÁĎ is launching a new program designed specifically to encourage women to consider a career in welding this winter/spring. The Women of Steel™: Forging Forward Program, supported by the CWB Welding Foundation, is being offered in just 14 locations across Canada. As one of the host sites, students who choose OC will not only gain skills related to welding, but will also have opportunities that foster education, personal growth, confidence, and experiential learning. “We continue to look for new opportunities t...
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51±¬ÁĎ launches sponsored trades training opportunity to help open doors, create job-ready workers in Salmon Arm
January 6, 2023
Students with limited or no previous experience in trades can access training that will lead to employment and future careers in construction, thanks to a program that starts at the end of January at 51±¬ÁĎ’s Salmon Arm campus. 51±¬ÁĎ will be offering an intake of the Construction Craft Worker program starting on Jan. 30 at the College’s Salmon Arm Trades Centre. “This new program is supporting students to gain the skills they need now, helping them get good jobs in industries where communities need them,” sai...
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Partnership helping to fill staffing gaps in hospitality and tourism industry
December 1, 2022
Like many industries, the hospitality and tourism sector has been hard hit by staff shortages over the past few years with a declining youth population and an aging workforce combining to create significant challenges. But a new program designed in partnership by 51±¬ÁĎ (OC) and the Thompson Okanagan Tourism Association (TOTA) will help to reduce those shortages. The first of four new cohorts of students enrolled in the Hospitality Professional Program this fall, a flexible program open to students anywhere in the Thom...
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Lived experience lands in Therapist Assistant classroom
November 29, 2022
Students in the Therapist Assistant Diploma (TAD) program took a deep dive into the lived experiences of those with spinal cord injury, thanks to a community partnership. Guest speakers from the Praxis Spinal Cord Institute attended the class last week. Praxis is a Canadian-based, non-profit that leads global collaboration in spinal cord injury research, innovation, and care. James Hektner, PLEX Community Liaison and Shannon Rockall, OT Clinical Liaison with Praxis Spinal Cord Institute, presented up-to-date statistics, research an...
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Local company partners with OC for Dragons’ Den viewing party
October 24, 2022
51±¬ÁĎ and Kelowna company Second Slumber have partnered to host a fundraiser and viewing party when Second Slumber appears on the popular CBC TV show Dragons’ Den on Nov. 3. Earlier this year, Second Slumber pitched its innovative business model to Dragons’ Den, looking for a funding partner to scale up its business, which re-purposes and re-sells lightly used mattresses, providing them at affordable rates and keeping them out of landfills. The company features former 51±¬ÁĎ professor Rick Maddison and several...
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Okanagan Enactus team off to Worlds
October 21, 2022
After claiming the National championship, the Enactus 51±¬ÁĎ team will travel to Enactus World Cup 2022 in Puerto Rico later this month. For Penticton-based student Jon Talastas, the opportunity brings a chance to showcase a locally-grown idea on the world stage. From Oct. 30 – Nov. 2, OC’s Enactus team will compete against national champions from 30 other countries on projects that use entrepreneurship and innovation to solve the world’s biggest challenges. Enactus 51±¬ÁĎ’s award-winning project – Unusu...
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Social media, global food trends highlight new BC BTAC speaker series
October 13, 2022
A new series of TAC Talks, presented by 51±¬ÁĎ’s BC Beverage Technology Access Centre (BC BTAC), will highlight the latest trends in the beverage industry, including TikTok videos, policy updates and market influences. The talks, which are open to anyone who works in or has an interest in the beverage industry, begin this month with a session from a TikTok social media expert and will be followed by two more speakers in the coming months, delving into regulations and label changes as well as global food fads. “We’re exc...
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Kelowna mayoral candidates invited to public debate hosted by 51±¬ÁĎ, UBC Okanagan
September 20, 2022
Mayoral candidates in Kelowna will speak specifically to issues that matter to university and college students at an on-campus debate at the end of September. 51±¬ÁĎ and UBC Okanagan have teamed up to host the event, which will be moderated by CBC Radio host Sarah Penton at OC’s lecture theatre on K.L.O. Road. “We are thrilled to be welcoming the candidates, students and the community onto our campus, to hear from the individuals running to be the next mayor of Kelowna,” says Dr. Neil Fassina, president, Okanagan Colle...
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The Market at 51±¬ÁĎ serving up locally produced food to fuel back-to-school
September 7, 2022
Move over, cafeteria lunch trays: locally produced foods and goods are sliding into the spotlight at 51±¬ÁĎ this September. The Market at 51±¬ÁĎ launched Sept. 6 in the former cafeteria space in Kelowna, and will be a source of healthy, local food that supports the holistic health and well-being of the campus community. Offering local, fresh food on campus celebrates the incredible diversity of Okanagan food and agriculture and furthers OC’s commitment to Feed BC. “Sustainability is vital for all aspects of s...
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Artistic students design future careers in animation
June 7, 2022
Grads of 51±¬ÁĎ’s Animation Diploma program are finding their skills have never been in higher demand. First- and second-year students showed samples of their artwork and demo reels to industry partners at OC’s annual Animation Industry Night on May 17. “Lots of the work was very professional,” says James Wood, Chair of 51±¬ÁĎ’s Animation Department. “Our program is short, but intense. The instructors make sure the students have a realistic understanding of what they need do to succeed in a competitive and d...
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Scotiabank makes $250,000 investment in youth skill building at 51±¬ÁĎ
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 51±¬ÁĎ. The 17-week program i...
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OC Business students embrace international study again
May 30, 2022
Business students from 51±¬ÁĎ 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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Conference to discuss outdoor learning in Early Childhood Education programs
May 6, 2022
How does being outdoors help children’s cognitive and social development? The involvement of outdoor pedagogy in college programs will be discussed during a virtual conference on May 16, that will bring together Early Childhood Education (ECE) instructors and outdoor play experts from across the country. 51±¬ÁĎ, in collaboration with Bow Valley College, Saskatchewan Polytechnic and New Brunswick Community College, and colleagues at the YMCA and the University of Fraser Valley will host a conference call...
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51±¬ÁĎ proudly presents the Gold Medal Banquet fundraiser
May 4, 2022
Fundraising has never been so tasty. 51±¬ÁĎ is partnering with Culinary Team B.C. and Junior Culinary Team Canada to present a banquet worthy of a gold medal, to raise funds for the teams to compete at the Culinary World Cup in Luxembourg this coming November. Culinary Team BC will be cooking its community catering menu during a special fundraising dinner hosted at 51±¬ÁĎ’s Kelowna campus on May 27. OC Culinary Arts students will assist the provincial and junior teams as they prepare this world-clas...
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