SECTION 2: POST-SECONDARY EDUCATION AND PROGRAMS KOOTENAY

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1 SECTION 2: POST-SECONDARY EDUCATION AND PROGRAMS CONTENTS Overview Post-secondary education in B.C. Post-secondary education Kootenay Region Related Links OVERVIEW The Ministry of Advanced Education seeks to help British Columbians develop the knowledge and skills needed to reach their full potential and to ensure B.C. successfully competes in the global knowledge economy. Key goals for the Ministry of Advanced Education are: A high quality, accessible, and affordable post-secondary education system; Increasing opportunities for students to train in high demand fields such as nursing, medicine, and skilled trades; Using our world-class advanced education system to harness the potential of B.C. s workforce and close the gap between supply and demand for skilled talent; and, Increasing participation of Aboriginal learners. POST-SECONDARY EDUCATION IN B.C. Post-secondary institutions are integral partners working in collaboration with school districts, communities and employers to promote and support student transition from secondary school to post-secondary education and training and to the labour market. B.C. s post-secondary education system comprises a variety of public and private institutions, which offer a range of education and training options: There are 25 publicly funded universities, colleges and institutes, offering over 1,900 programs. The Ministry of Advanced Education provides leadership to the public postsecondary institutions and promotes collaboration, innovation and partnerships across the system. Information on B.C. s public institutions can be found at: There are 17 private and out-of-province public institutions with Ministerial consent to offer degree programs. A list of institutions authorized to grant degrees can be found at: 1 Page

2 Numerous Aboriginal organizations and approximately 40 Aboriginal institutes provide training and employment opportunities to learners around the province. Further information can be found at: Over 325 private career training institutions are registered with the Private Career Training Institutions Agency (PCTIA), a Crown Agency of British Columbia. Further information and a list of institutions can be found at: There are 13 private post-secondary theological institutions with authority under a Private Act to grant theological degrees. A list of theological institutions can be found at: There are also numerous private language schools. Language schools are not regulated in B.C., but may voluntarily register with PCTIA. Many public and private language schools are members of Languages Canada, a national association: POST-SECONDARY EDUCATION REGION There are two public post-secondary institutions in the Kootenay region: College of the Rockies ( The College of the Rockies serves the post-secondary education and training needs of people in the East Kootenay region. The main campus and Gold Creek campus are located in Cranbrook, with five regional campuses located in Creston, Fernie, Golden, Invermere, and Kimberley. The College of the Rockies offers a comprehensive mix of vocational, trades, career technical and academic programs and services and provides specialty programs to meet regional labour market needs of the mining industry (via its innovative Mining Apprenticeship Program) and the recreational tourism industry (via the Adventure Tourism Business Operations Program). The college is recognized for its international and local partnerships and provides programming to adults at a distance through a large number of online classes. General directory of College of the Rockies programs: Workforce Training and Continuing Education programs: Industry and Trades Training programs: Distance and Online Learning programs: Selkirk College ( Selkirk College serves the post-secondary education and training needs of people in the West Kootenay/Boundary region. The main campus is located in Castlegar, with campuses/centres in Nelson (Silver King, Tenth Street, Victoria Street), Trail, Grand Forks, Kaslo and Nakusp. 2 Page

3 Selkirk College offers a comprehensive mix of vocational, trades, career technical and academic programs and services, and regional/national specialty programs; for example, Professional Driver Training, Aviation - Professional Pilot, Nursing degree and healthcare, Kootenay Studio Arts, Ski Resort and Operations Management, Golf Management Online (GCOOL), and the Geographic Information Systems degree. Recent collaboration with local industries produced the successful Plant Operator program. Selkirk's applied research and innovation initiatives support student learning and regional development. General directory of Selkirk College programs: Workforce Training and Continuing Education programs: Industry and Trades Training programs: Distance and Online Learning programs: The following PCTIA-registered private career training institutions are located in the Kootenay region: Academy of Classical Oriental Sciences (Nelson) Diploma programs in traditional Chinese medicine and acupuncture. Ashland Training Centre / Ashland Job Shop (Castlegar, Nelson, Trail, Sparwood and Grand Forks) Computer training, customer service and Food Safe certificate programs. Domcor Health, Safety & Security (Trail) First aid, safety and security training certificate programs. Kutenai Art Therapy Institute (Nelson) Art therapy diploma program. Kutenai Institute of Integral Therapies (Nelson) Alternative health care certificate programs. Mountain Transport Institute Ltd (Castlegar) Truck driver training (Class 4 to 1) and air brake programs. ProCare Institute Inc. (Castlegar, Nelson) Health Care Assistant diploma program. Southern Interior Construction Association (Castlegar, Cranbrook) Certificate programs in the areas of carpentry, construction, tile setting, road building and heavy construction. Yasodhara Ashram (Kootenay Bay) Yoga teacher training and yoga development certificate programs. There are no private degree-granting or public out-of-province institutions in the Kootenay region. Numerous post-secondary institutions also offer a variety of online programs, which are accessible to individuals in the Kootenay region. 3 Page

4 RELATED LINKS Aboriginal post-secondary education and training This site provides an overview of ministry Aboriginal education initiatives, as well as planning, financial aid, and student support resources. Career planning / labour market information BC Work Futures is a comprehensive resource that describes close to 200 occupational groups, representing 98% of the B.C. labour market. Education Planner: An education planning resource administered by the BC Council on Admissions and Transfer (BCCAT) that contains comprehensive information on nearly 1,700 undergraduate programs offered at B.C. universities, colleges, and institutes. Education Quality Assurance (EQA) and The EQA is B.C. s brand for quality post-secondary education. It provides a standard trademark that people can recognize worldwide as an assurance of quality for B.C. post-secondary institutions. EQA is a voluntary mechanism available to public and private post-secondary institutions meeting quality assurance standards and applicant suitability requirements recognized by the provincial government for EQA eligibility. Industry Training Authority (ITA) The Industry Training Authority is the provincial crown agency responsible for managing, improving and expanding B.C. s industry training and apprenticeship system. ITA plays a key role in supplying skilled workers for all sectors. Information on Accelerated Credit Enrolment in Industry Training (ACE-IT) and Secondary School Apprenticeship that provide high school students with dual credit towards secondary school graduation and a post-secondary apprenticeship credentials is also on ITA s website. International Education: Information about the B.C. government s recently released international educaton strategy can be found at the following site: International Credential Evaluation Services (ICES): o ICES evaluates formal for-credit educational programs of study for people who have studied in other provinces or countries and determines comparable levels in British Columbian and Canadian terms. Welcome BC: o WelcomeBC provides information on immigration, settlement and immigration-related labour market services throughout the province. Online services Bccampus 4 Page

5 BCcampus is a web-based gateway designed to give students access to all online learning resources offered by B.C. s post-secondary institutions. It provides students with a single point of access to online services to help them meet their educational goals including ApplyBC.ca and CoursesBC.ca. Student Financial Assistance StudentAid BC helps eligible students with the cost of their post-secondary education through loans, grants, bursaries, scholarships and special programs. It also has programs for borrowers who need help repaying their loans. Transfer information and BC Council on Admissions and Transfer is responsible for facilitating admission, articulation and transfer arrangements among the colleges, institutes, and universities in B.C. The BC Transfer Guide explains the process of transferring inside and outside of B.C. and discusses how to gain credit for coursework completed in another program, course or institution. WorkBC An overview of labour market information products and resources relevant to B.C. Includes a section on access post-secondary education and training. 5 Page