Okanagan College graduates gain skills for entering the region’s fastest-growing industries: aerospace and animation (below).
Okanagan College is playing a critical role in helping two of the region's fastest-growing industries – aerospace and animation – ensure they have the locally trained talent they need to expand their businesses.
For KF Aerospace, the region's largest private employer, keeping up with the demand for skilled technicians is an ongoing challenge. "There just aren't enough aircraft structures technicians out there," says human resources director Grant Stevens.
That's why the company partners with Okanagan College to ensure the continued success of the college's aircraft maintenance structures engineering program.
The relationship between the college and KF Aerospace is tight, to say the least. "We actually lease the space for the program from KF Aerospace, so our students learn in a hangar right next to KF's operations," says Steven Moores, Okanagan College's dean of trades and apprenticeship. "And for the last several years, the company has basically hired every one of our program's graduates."
When KF Aerospace's projections showed even more technicians were needed to meet skyrocketing demand, they asked the college to consider running a second class of 16 students. Through a remarkable level of collaboration – from securing additional government funding and hiring an instructor to putting in a brand new shop and investing in a second set of tools and equipment – the two organizations made it work.
The result? The approximately 30 students who complete the 37-week program stand an excellent chance of being hired by KF Aerospace and are well on their way to obtaining their licence as a certified aircraft maintenance engineer (structures).
Okanagan College's responsive approach to local industry is not confined to the aerospace sector. In September 2017, the college launched a two-year diploma in digital animation to meet the local demand for skilled animators.
Putting all the pieces together to launch a new program was yet another collaboration of industry, the college and the provincial government, which is providing ongoing funding to support the program's launch.
"This program is targeting students who are artists first and foremost," says Yvonne Moritz, dean of science, technologies and health. "Classes are taught by industry professionals who help students develop their artistic and creative skills while introducing them to the technology and tools they'll need to work as professional animators. Opportunities for co-op will also give students first-hand experience working in local animation studios."
As Mr. Stevens of FK Aerospace can attest, that type of close partnership inevitably leads to shared success. "It allows the college to be successful in providing its students with the in-demand training they need, and it allows the employer to hire the locally trained talent it needs to grow its business."
About Colleges and Institutes Canada
Colleges and Institutes Canada (CICan) represents Canada's publicly supported colleges, institutes, cegeps and polytechnics, which work with industry and social sectors to train learners of all ages and backgrounds at over 420 campuses serving urban, rural and remote communities across Canada.
For more information, visit www.collegesinstitutes.ca.
Advertising produced by Randall Anthony Communications. The Globe's Editorial department was not involved in its creation.