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Trades, tech and triumph: OC hosts 2023 Skills Canada BC Regionals
March 16, 2023
Sparks flew, culinary creations delighted, and electronic expertise was on display as more than 100 competitors converged at Okanagan College’s Kelowna campus for the 2023 SkillsBC Regional Trades and Technologies competition on Friday, Feb. 24. Skills Canada Regionals tests the skills and knowledge of junior and high school students, college trades students and apprentices across a wide array of trades and technology competitions – Architectural CAD, Cabinetmaking, Culinary Arts, Electronics, Welding, Jr. Skills Gravity Vehicle, J...
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OC students ‘newcomer neighbour’ thrift store program captures design thinking accolades
March 16, 2023
Growing up in Victoria, Okanagan College student Kimberly Cornell remembers spending time at Royal Roads University, hanging out on the university grounds after school waiting for her mom to finish work. Now in post-secondary school herself, she joined forces with fellow OC students Eric Worman and Nicole Benevides to place second in Royal Roads’ Design Thinking Challenge, a competition that offers teams of undergraduate business students an opportunity to contribute to a real-world challenge. This year’s event tackled the questio...
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Children polish oral health skills with Certified Dental Assistant student expertise
March 14, 2023
If children’s smiles are shining a bit brighter in Kelowna these days, it may be due to the influence of Okanagan College students. More than 700 children between Kindergarten and Grade 5 received free oral health education through February, as OC Certified Dental Assistant students shared what they have learned through a special community outreach program at elementary schools in Kelowna. "The highlight of these oral health presentations to the children and families is the great sense of purpose and meaning the CDA students feel ...
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Plasma donor drive campaign boosts OC nursing student with $3,000 bursary
February 22, 2023
Okanagan College nursing student Taylor Hubick learned a valuable lesson this year: persistence with plasma donation pays off. Hubick is the recipient of the Canadian Blood Services bursary of $3,000 for her studies in the Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) program, for recruiting 23 plasma donors between May and October last year. Hubick says she originally got recruited to donate by a friend who was studying on Vancouver Island. “She pulled out of the challenge because she was going travelling, and that’s when I realized I s...
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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. Okanagan College (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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College focused on training workers as new labour market outlook forecasts more than one million jobs
February 8, 2023
With more than 120,000 job openings expected in the Thompson-Okanagan in the next decade, Okanagan College wants to help people living across the region map out their education, skills training, and career paths. B.C.’s latest Labour Market Outlook was unveiled today and over the ten-year forecast period shows regional employment demand increasing by 1.4 per cent on average each year for the next decade. The top industries in Thompson-Okanagan by job openings include retail trade (excluding cars, online shopping and personal care)...
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Update: Related to the cyber-incident, Jan. 2023
January 31, 2023
Dear OC community, Thank you for your continued support through the past few weeks. We recognize that there are many questions circulating and are making every effort to share information as it is confirmed through the ongoing and active investigation. Below are questions and answers addressing where we are today. Okanagan College will continue to provide updates as we are able, with a focus on prioritizing our community’s safety and security. Neil Fassina President, Okanagan College Was it ransomware? It...
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Update to the OC Community on the recent cyber-incident
January 30, 2023
Good afternoon OC students and staff, As you are aware, on Jan. 9, Okanagan College responded to an incident in which an unauthorized group gained access to our technology systems. As soon as the intrusion was detected, we took steps to contain the incident and engaged police and cyber-security experts to assist with the investigation of the incident and the restoration of our systems, both of which are active and ongoing. Specifically, we notified agencies including the RCMP, the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissione...
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OC to celebrate first graduates of 2023
January 26, 2023
Amanda Jones will be one of hundreds of OC graduates taking a momentous step this weekend, as she and her peers cross the red carpet at the College’s first Convocation ceremonies of the year. And for the Penticton mother of two – who juggled a return to classroom with supporting a family and running a successful business during a global pandemic – the long-awaited moment brings feelings of pride and a continued desire to keep learning. Okanagan College will recognize graduates at two ceremonies in Kelowna on Saturday: 10:30 a...
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Business students bring home medals from Canada’s oldest business school competition
January 24, 2023
É«É«É«ÇéƬ from the School of Business at Okanagan College (OC) were front and centre at the prestigious Queen's University Inter-Collegiate Business Competition this month, with 15 students combining for four medals, including the team award for exceptional team spirit. The competition, held Jan. 13 to15 in Kingston, ON, saw seven teams from the Okanagan School of Business competing in the final weekend of the event. Two-person teams were presented with a business scenario to analyze, develop a solution, and create a presentation to...
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College notifies current students and employees of privacy incident and offers credit monitoring
January 23, 2023
On Monday, January 9, Okanagan College responded to an incident in which an unauthorized entity gained access to certain Okanagan College technology systems. As soon as the intrusion was detected, the College took steps to contain the incident and engaged cyber-security experts to assist with the response and investigation. In the course of the investigation, it has been determined that certain information belonging to current students and employees may have been subject to risk as result of the incident. The College has notified ...
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Understanding Ableism: Join us for an Anti-Ableism presentation by Spring Hawes at OC Kelowna on Jan. 19
January 13, 2023
A group of Okanagan College students and employees are further advancing conversation and action around anti-ableism and accessibility at OC this winter through an upcoming talk and series of follow-up events. Okanagan College Kelowna’s Accessibility Alliance invites the OC community to attend an anti-ableism presentation by entrepreneur and advocate Spring Hawes on January 19 from noon -2:30 p.m. in the Centre for Learning Atrium (E Building). In her presentation Hawes will...
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Update: Okanagan College cyber-security incident
January 11, 2023
This message was shared with Okanagan College students and staff Wednesday (Jan. 11) morning. Dear Okanagan College community, I am writing to update you on the network outage that has impacted our OC community this week and continues to have impacts today. On Monday morning, at about 6:15 a.m. our IT Services team interrupted a cyber-security incident. This incident, which involved an unrecognized external agent, was identified by our team’s routine and proactive surveillance. IT Services responded quickly by shutting down and ...
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Enactus Okanagan College represents Canada on the world stage, finishes in top four
November 3, 2022
É«É«É«ÇéƬ from Okanagan College represented Canada on the global stage this week, presenting their social enterprise business at a prestigious international competition and finishing in the final four of 32 teams. Enactus OC, comprised of students from the Okanagan College School of Business, won the national title in September and earned the right to wear the maple leaf and represent Canada at the Enactus World Cup in Puerto Rico. The final round of competition wrapped up on Nov. 2. “We are so proud of this team and of all Okanaga...
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Thorpe and Friends Scholarship recognizes two Okanagan College 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 Okanagan College’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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Okanagan Enactus team off to Worlds
October 21, 2022
After claiming the National championship, the Enactus Okanagan College 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 Okanagan College’s award-winning project – Unusu...
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