Heavy Mechanical Trades Students at College of New Caledonia Get Skills to Keep BC Moving
Students at the College of New Caledonia (CNC) are developing the practical skills that employers in the North need in a new, modern heavy mechanical trades facility.
The new 2,352 square-metre (25,317 square-foot) facility provides a modern learning space for students to gain the skills that will prepare them for long-lasting, good-paying careers in industries such as forestry, mining and transportation. The previous leased facilities were outdated and at capacity.
The heavy mechanical trades facility can accommodate 251 full-time-equivalent spaces, and up to 48 new spaces, in the heavy-duty equipment technician and truck and transport mechanics program.
Heavy mechanical trades students inspect, service and repair heavy trucks, commercial trucks, buses, diesel engines, transport trailers, cranes, graders, drills, bulldozers and other heavy equipment.
Funding was provided through the Government of Canada's Post-Secondary Institutions Strategic Investment Fund. This fund enhanced and modernized buildings on post-secondary campuses across the country and improved the environmental sustainability of the facilities.
The total cost of the new facility was $18.5 million:
- $10.1 million from the Province of B.C.
- $6.9 million from the Government of Canada.
- $1.5 million from CNC.
Construction of the Heavy Mechanical Trades Facility started in early 2017 and generated approximately 50 direct and 40 indirect jobs.