November 8, 2011, Victoria, BC | BC Colleges wishes to thank the federal and provincial governments for their support of the Knowledge Infrastructure Program, a two-year $2-billion measure launched in March 2009 to support infrastructure enhancement at post-secondary institutions, including universities and community colleges, across Canada.
In British Columbia, the Knowledge Infrastructure Program funded 42 projects with $237,411,500 coming from federal sources and another $296,502,769 coming from provincial and other funding sources. Of these 42 projects, 17 were at BC’s 11 public colleges.
Highlights from the program include, capital improvements at all 11 of BC's colleges. Additionally there were some significant capital investments made through the Knowledge Infrastructure Program that positively impact colleges’ ability to provide the advanced skills and training necessary to meet the job demands of the future. Some examples of these investments include:
Northern Lights College where the Prime Minister was recently on hand to open the new Centre of Excellence for Clean Energy Technology funded through the Knowledge Infrastructure Program. The new Centre will enable the college to train additional students in the fields of health care and clean energy. This will help to address the growing national demand for nurses and provide trained professionals to help drive Canada’s burgeoning clean energy industry.
At Okanagan College's Penticton campus, a new Centre of Excellence in Sustainable Building Technologies and Renewable Energy Conservation has been opened thanks to the Knowledge Infrastructure Program and is known as one of the world's greenest buildings. The innovative features of the building itself will be used as a teaching tool to help train the next generation of tradespeople in green construction practices, with the goal to nurture a growing high-tech, green focused industry for the South Okanagan-Similkameen region.
The Smithers campus of Northwest Community College received over $8 million in funding from the Knowledge Infrastructure Program plus an additional $8 million from the provincial government for campus renewal and expansion. This investment will allow the college to address trades shortages in the region by providing more efficient and functional facilities, reducing greenhouse gas emissions via its LEED Platinum certification and enhancing the overall learning environment for all students.
At North Island College a new Skills Development and Trades Training Facility was built with support from the Knowledge Infrastructure Program. As the first LEED certified building in the region, the new Trades Training Centre will provide training and retraining for displaced resource industry workers in the mid-island.
At the College of New Caledonia the Knowledge Infrastructure Program helped to fund the construction of two new buildings, one in Quesnel and the other in Prince George. At the Quesnel campus, the new building will help to expand and diversify skilled trades programs including: welding, carpentry, electrical, plumbing, power engineer, agro-forestry, horticulture and animal science. Additionally, the new building uses geothermal technology to heat and cool the buildings. In Prince George, the $19.7-million Technical Education Centre (TEC) accommodates 800 student spaces annually and houses Red Seal trades and other technical programs including: welding, machinist, industrial mechanic/millwright, auto collision repair, plumbing, engineering technology, mining technician, and others. The Prince George TEC building has eight shops, 11 classrooms four computer labs, communal student lounge as well as garden and courtyard landscaping. The building uses solar technology to heat the domestic hot water and features one of the first green landscaped roofs in northern BC.
The Knowledge Infrastructure Program, while providing significant short-term economic stimulus to communities across the country, has allowed BC’s colleges to make much needed capital improvements and in some cases significant capital investments in new or improved training facilities. These investments are critical for BC’s colleges to ensure future labour market demands are met. With investment from both the federal and provincial governments, BC’s colleges can continue to provide students with the advanced skills and education that employers and the labour market demand both now and in the future. This investment pays dividends for communities across our province and the rest of Canada.
For a complete listing of the KIP projects that involved BC’s 11 public colleges, please visit the BC Colleges website.
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Media Contact:
Alix Cameron, Red CAB Communications – T. 604-839-2770 or Email alix@RedCAB.ca