Okanagan College

Established in 1906 at Summerland, Okanagan College was the first college to be opened in British Columbia. The name of the college had been changed to Okanagan University College (OUC) in 1995. However, the older name of Okanagan College was brought back in 2005 when OUC had been divided into two parts - UBC (University of British Columbia) and OC (Okanagan College).

Okanagan has 4 main campuses. The first is located in Kelowna, a city on Okanagan Lake in Okanagan Valley. Kelowna means 'grizzly bear' in the Okanagan language. The Trades Complex was renovated and expanded at the Kelowna Campus. The complex was built in September 2016 and it had achieved LEED Platinum Standards. It received awards for its sustainable architectural design. In 2009, the Centre of Excellence had opened its doors at the campus in Kelowna. It is a LEED Gold certified building. The second campus is at Penticton which is situated between two lakes, namely Skaha and Okanagan. The third campus is at Vernon, a city named after Former British Columbia MLA Forbes George Vernon. The fourth campus is located at Salmon Arm which is a town that attracts tourists during summer.

Okanagan is very famous for its Sustainable Construction Management Technology (SCMT) Programme. It is based at the Jim Pattison Centre of Excellence which is situated at the Penticton Campus. This programme educates students on sustainable building techniques and green technologies. One of Okanagan College's core values is sustainability. The Jim Pattison Centre of Excellence had received the LEED Platinum Certification in 2015. The building was established in 2011 and had received accolades as the Greenest Post-Secondary Building in the whole of Canada in the year 2016.

Okanagan College provides various programmes in apprenticeship, trades, vocational training, continuing education and academic courses. Okanagan also has programmes in University Science and Arts, health, technology and adult basic and special education. The programmes that have been of special interest to foreign students are English as Second Language Training, Four-year Degree Programmes in Computer Information and Business and Trades and Vocational Programmes. The Transfer Programme of the college has courses in literature, chemistry, physics, history, psychology, biology and gender studies.

The notable alumni of Okanagan College include Canadian Poet Shane Koyczan, Member of the Canadian House of Commons Dan Albas, Author and Educator Robyn Bourgeois, Canadian Curler Kevin Folk, Politician Todd Keller and Politician Norah Bowman.