Collaboration & Partnerships
Health Care Assistants thankful for bursary support
September 14, 2020
Twenty-three-year-old Shoshanna Fremont works the night shift as a Care Aide at a local long-term care home, a shift she loves as it gives her an opportunity to provide precious one-on-one time with residents who are up during the night. “When you get them a glass of water and take the time to hold their hand, especially when they can’t have many visitors, their entire mood changes,” says Fremont. “When I go home I take comfort that I took care of people today, I made them smile, or helped in whatever way I could.” Fremont is o...
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Hospitality training in Okanagan leads to tourism jobs
September 14, 2020
Published on behalf of the Ministry of Social Development and Poverty Reduction. See original release here. Up to 40 eligible British Columbians will be able to tap into a unique online training program at ǿմý and gain work experience to prepare them for jobs in the hospitality industry, thanks to more than $611,000 in funding from the provincial government. “The tourism sector is resilient. We’re seeing evidence of that in the Okanagan and Shuswap as businesses begin to reopen,” said Shane Simpson, Minister of S...
Read more...Advisors from across BC post-secondary institutions unite to engage and support Indigenous students
September 10, 2020
Strengthening Connections, an Indigenous recruitment initiative for post-secondary institutions in British Columbia, will have a whole new look and feel this fall. As post-secondary institutions across the province have geared up for remote or alternative delivery for fall semester, recruiters have also made the switch to a virtual world, notes Jewell Gillies, who currently serves as Executive Board Chair for Strengthening Connections and works in Indigenous Services and Student, Grad and Co-op Employment at ǿմý. “Str...
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Major Rotary gift supports nursing education
August 10, 2020
A $100,000 gift from the Rotary Club of Kelowna Foundation Reichwald Fund will support the education of Registered Nurses (RNs) at Kelowna’s major post-secondary institutions. ǿմý and the University of British Columbia Okanagan (UBCO) are each receiving $50,000 to support high-quality skills training and provide financial support for students in the Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) program. “We are thrilled to support our future health care workers in Kelowna and throughout the Valley,” says Catherine Comben, Rota...
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College honours Brooks with Distinguished Service Award
July 20, 2020
One of ǿմý’s longest-serving employees, Dr. Jayne Brooks, will be recognized by the College with the Distinguished Service Award. “Jayne’s leadership, dedication and commitment to excellence helped to cement the national reputation of the Okanagan School of Business,” says ǿմý President Jim Hamilton. “Her work to grow partnerships with the business community and other institutions locally, nationally and internationally created a tremendous increase in access and opportunity for students. Furthermore, her...
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Outdoor play is critical: ǿմý’s Dietze and other experts contribute to new recommendations by Lawson Foundation
July 16, 2020
Outdoor play is good for kids and good for our communities. A new statement released on July 13 by the Lawson Foundation highlights why opportunities for children to play outside are critical to their development and learning – both during and beyond the COVID-19 pandemic. The statement also outlines the role of outdoor play in mitigating COVID-19 exposure risk for children in a variety of settings, from childcare facilities to schools. Read the full statement online. It was prepared with the input of advisors from public health ...
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College names Pamela and Wilfred Barnes, Robert Foord, Louis Thomas and Don Turri as 2020 Honorary Fellows
July 15, 2020
ǿմý is bestowing its highest honour on five notable residents of the region, each of whom has made unique and meaningful contributions through education, public service, mentorship and philanthropy. Pamela and Wilfred “Grouse” Barnes, Robert Foord, Louis Thomas and Don Turri have been selected by the College as its 2020 Honorary Fellows. “It would be impossible to quantify or to adequately put into words the positive impact this year’s Honorary Fellows have had in their communities,” said ǿմý President J...
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ǿմý 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 ǿմý Students’ Union (ǿմýSU) and Sysco, ǿմý’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, ǿմý’s training kitchens went dark. Students and instructors donated food to the Kelowna Food...
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ǿմý business students adapt FruitSnaps project to feed those in need during pandemic
June 23, 2020
When the pandemic hit, they adapted. When greater need appeared, they collaborated. When an unthinkable tragedy struck, they supported each other through it. And when the chance came to share their idea with the country, they rose to the challenge. It all started in the fall of 2018, when ǿմý business student Abby Lagerquist noticed apples still on the trees at the end of harvest season. After inquiring with the orchard owners, she discovered that these apples were imperfect and would be left on the trees to rot (sadly...
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College and Westbank First Nation sign new MOU, continue to deepen partnership
June 21, 2020
ǿմý 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 Na...
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Kelowna Chevrolet invests in health professionals
May 28, 2020
Kelowna Chevrolet is investing in future health care professionals, with a $50,000 donation to the Our Students, Your Health campaign for a new Health Sciences Centre at ǿմý. Kelowna Chevrolet Dealer Partner Ian Speckman says he felt a responsibility to support the state-of-the-art Health Sciences Centre that will train health care professionals for the region. “As we’re all realizing, health care professionals are essential for our community,” says Speckman. “This is about supporting students so they can get the rig...
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Contest winner inspired to help others
May 26, 2020
When Brittani Sali answered the phone and learned she was the winner of a $5,000 tuition giveaway contest, she thought she might be dreaming. The 22-year old was just waking up, and she hadn’t been expecting the call from local radio announcer B Mack. Lucky for Sali, winning the tuition giveaway towards any health program at ǿմý wasn’t a dream. The 22-year old was among one of 80 people who entered the contest, which was sponsored by the Payton and Dillon Budd Memorial Fund, in partnership with Virgin Radio and the Ok...
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ǿմý 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 ǿմý’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. ...
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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, ǿմý’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...
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Families and community at the heart of Enactus GreenScreen technology initiative
April 9, 2020
GreenScreen is bigger than just a technology recycling program. It’s about people and helping build connections. An initiative launched by ǿմý’s Enactus team in 2019, the project works to repurpose technology such as phones, laptops and tablets, saving them from the landfill and connecting them with families in need. The team consists of students Isaac Hossmann, Emily Pilon, Rachel Wehrmann and Maya Samaddar, and aided by College professor Devin Rubadeau. Working alongside Kelowna Cell Repair, Columbia Bottle Depot an...
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How to play in today’s reality: A Q&A with Beverlie Dietze, Play Expert
March 31, 2020
Social-distancing is the name of the game for all of us right now. But getting outside, whether it be in your backyard or your neighbourhood, when following the province’s guidance, remains an important way for us to keep moving says an ǿմý outdoor play expert. In early March, before the onset of COVID-19 halted such gatherings, the College hosted an outdoor play workshop alongside Outland Design and New Monaco in Peachland. This unique opportunity gave residents a chance to learn more about outdoor and unstructured pl...
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