Learning & AVĚěĚĂ
Generations of care, Human Service Work students filling sought-after profession
July 28, 2020
Though still a relative newcomer to the profession, OC graduate Fawn Herrington is passionate about her work in the social services field. After navigating the end of a job as a dental assistant, she felt the need in 2014 to take an online career assessment. That pointed her in the direction of human service work, and she enrolled in AVĚěĚĂ’s Human Service Work diploma, graduating two years later in 2016. Now – witness to her mom’s career – Fawn’s daughter Jaden Lee is set to take the same two-year program this September. “I fe...
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New accessibility initiative launched to support OC students facing co-op barriers
July 14, 2020
Co-op has long been a staple of the AVĚěĚĂ experience, offering students from a variety of study areas the chance to gain job experience and practical training in the workplace. But what happens when a student faces accessibility barriers in finding work? AVĚěĚĂ’s Accessibility Initiative and survey, run by members of the College’s Student Services team, seeks to break down those barriers. The project received funding from the B.C. Ministry of Advanced AVĚěĚĂ, Skills and Training for work integrated learning initiati...
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Splatsin Band celebrates the success of two of their students, now OC graduates
July 9, 2020
Representatives of the Splatsin Band and AVĚěĚĂ recently came together to honour and celebrate the success of two of their students with a special graduation event. Two years ago, Alicia Dominick and Tina William began upgrading their education with the Adult Academic and Career Preparation (also known as Adult Upgrading) program at AVĚěĚĂ in Salmon Arm. They continued their educational journey with the Early Childhood Educator Certificate and Early Childhood Educator Infant Toddler Specialty training. And as they...
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OC Culinary Arts program Serves Up meals for students in need
July 9, 2020
It’s an example of students helping students that is sure to warm hearts and bellies. With the support of RBC Royal Bank of Canada, the AVĚěĚĂ Students’ Union (OCSU) and Sysco, AVĚěĚĂ’s Culinary and Pastry Arts students are launching an innovative new program designed to hone their skills while providing nutritious meals for fellow students who are struggling financially. When the pandemic hit B.C. earlier this spring, OC’s training kitchens went dark. Students and instructors donated food to the Kelowna Food Bank as...
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OC grad seeks to inspire those around him
July 6, 2020
For Ajeet Paul, completing his diploma in Environmental Studies at Okanagan proved to be a journey of learning and personal growth, capped off with a whirlwind final semester as he and his classmates overcame the unexpected challenge of graduating in a pandemic. Paul is one of more than 2,000 students who will graduate from AVĚěĚĂ this year, and although his credential is on its way to him by mail, he’ll need to wait a little while longer to be able to don his cap and gown. Earlier this spring, after surveying graduating student...
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OC Salmon Arm hosts virtual info session to showcase expanded opportunities for students this fall
July 2, 2020
One silver lining for students during the pandemic might be greater choice of College courses this fall. AVĚěĚĂ is hosting a virtual info session at 1 p.m. on Tuesday, July 7 to inform students and parents about the greater array of courses available to students attending the College in Salmon Arm and Revelstoke. To register for the info session, click here or visit www.okanagan.bc.ca/infosessions. “The shift to online learning for many courses this fall has opened up the array of offerings that students can tap into,” ...
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OC AVĚěĚĂ Assistant grads ready to support learners in new and ever-changing world of education
June 30, 2020
The phrase “going back to school” is exciting on many levels for AVĚěĚĂ Vernon graduate Toby Griffin. When she took the leap of returning to College at age 48 to pursue her dream of becoming a certified education assistant, Griffin never could have imagined she’d finish off her studies during a pandemic – nor could she have anticipated how much this experience would inspire her and her fellow students to support learners in new and innovative ways. AVĚěĚĂ Assistants (EAs) are trained to help students be successful in meeting ...
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College and Westbank First Nation sign new MOU, continue to deepen partnership
June 21, 2020
AVĚěĚĂ and Westbank First Nation (WFN) recently signed a new Memorandum of Understanding, building on a long history of working together to increase access and support WFN members in achieving their post-secondary education goals. In all, the new MOU outlines seven ways in which the partners will continue to collaborate on projects and programs that will benefit learners from the WFN community, while helping both organizations learn from one another and build professional capacity. Signing on behalf of Westbank First Nation was...
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College spotlights new Common First-Year Engineering and other tech programs via virtual info session
June 15, 2020
Future engineers and technologists take note: AVĚěĚĂ is opening up a new pathway to engineering next year, and in the meantime is opening students’ eyes to other technologies careers in high demand. The College will welcome its first intake of students to its new Common First-Year Engineering (CFYE) program in Fall of 2021. The one-year CFYE certificate provides a comprehensive applied science foundation and sets students up to transfer into second-year university engineering studies. Students will complete courses in a variety ...
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College’s Camp OC cancelled for 2020
May 25, 2020
COVID-19 concerns are leading AVĚěĚĂ to cancel its Camp OC summer camp offerings for 2020. “We have been closely monitoring the evolving COVID-19 situation,” said Dr. Dennis Silvestrone, director of Continuing Studies and Corporate Training for AVĚěĚĂ. “And given what we understand about safety and limitations, we have made the decision to cancel Camp OC this summer.” “It is a very difficult decision for us, and one made with the best interests of all our campers, students, staff and our surrounding communities in mind...
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AVĚěĚĂ hosts virtual info session on Tourism Management diploma program
May 25, 2020
Set at the foot of the picturesque Columbia Mountains and home to a growing array of four-season tourism operators and activities, where better to advance your career in the tourism industry than Revelstoke? On May 27, prospective students can attend a virtual information session to learn more about AVĚěĚĂ’s Tourism Management diploma. The program, which debuted last year, is set for a September start at the College’s Revelstoke Centre and combines hands-on learning in the tourism sector with applied business courses. The vir...
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College’s Therapist Assistant program earns new national accreditation
May 22, 2020
As career goals go, what could be more meaningful than improving someone’s quality of life? For therapist assistants, it’s more than a goal, it’s a daily reality – and you’ll find these in-demand health professionals supporting people’s rehabilitation in a vast array of settings. This spring, AVĚěĚĂ’s Therapist Assistant Diploma (TAD) program – which has been educating Physical therapist assistants (PTA), Occupational therapist assistants (OTA) and Recreation therapist assistants (RTA) for almost 30 years – has earned a new fea...
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Drawing together: College and industry gather virtually to celebrate animation students
May 21, 2020
If there was ever a time to get animated, this was it – albeit with a virtual twist.While COVID-19 may have altered the format for the ceremony, it couldn’t dampen the excitement as studios from across the valley joined AVĚěĚĂ this week in recognizing the newest soon-to-be grads from its Animation diploma program.At the OC Animation department’s second-annual Industry Night on May 13, a group of second-year students on their way to graduation and first-year students who have now crossed the half-way mark of their program were cele...
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Therapist Assistant students grasp value of collaboration on project designed to help quadriplegics
May 7, 2020
A final term project for Therapist Assistant Diploma (TAD) students turned out to be a gripping example of learning. When second-year students Tenley Csolle and Zoe Dack were paired up to work together on their TAD capstone (or final term) project, the duo quickly agreed they wanted to develop something that would help quadriplegics. “I was looking at how to help an artist or someone who wanted to paint and hold a paint brush. I like to draw and paint. I was thinking: if I had a spinal cord injury, how could I improve the technology that...
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College offers virtual info sessions, online summer sessions, $5K tuition giveaway to help ease stress for potential students
May 4, 2020
Physically distant but with a personal touch: AVĚěĚĂ is here to help. That’s the message for students and parents who have found the COVID-19 pandemic has an extra layer of anxiety around what life will mean after high school. “Picking a post-secondary path can be challenging at the best of times, without the added stresses of COVID-19 in the mix, so we want to ensure students know that we’re here to help,” says Andrew Hay, interim Provost and Vice President Academic at AVĚěĚĂ. “While our physical offices are closed f...
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AVĚěĚĂ welcomes new Vice President Students
April 24, 2020
AVĚěĚĂ will welcome a new member to its executive leadership team when Meri Kim Oliver assumes the role of Vice President Students this summer. Oliver comes to the College from Durham College in Oshawa, ON where she has served as vice-president Student Affairs since 2013. Prior to that appointment, she served as assistant vice-president, Student Academic Success Services at Dalhousie University in Halifax, N.S. “As someone passionate about student development, I could not be more excited to be part of an institution with four c...
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