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NEWS RELEASE: Skilled Worker Shortage Costs B.C. Billions

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December 13, 2016 VANCOUVER – A shortage of educated and skilled workers is costing British Columbia’s economy $7.9 billion in forgone GDP and governments $1.8 billion in lost tax revenues, says a new report from the Conference Board of Canada. The report, Post-Secondary Education Skills for a Prosperous British Columbia – 2016 , says British Columbia’s prosperity is being limited by a shortage of workers with the right education and skills to meet the needs of a growing economy.  Continued…

Canada Learning Bonds make grade with Nanaimo parents

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Richard Watts / Times Colonist December | 13, 2016 06:00 AM Rose Touchie, a Nanaimo mother of three, is making time to upgrade her education at Vancouver Island University and is always happy to be in class.“I just think it’s great,” Touchie, 30, said in an interview. “I’m what people basically just call ‘a nerd.’ ” She and partner Shane Hnetka, 27, also had few worries about turning their kids into nerds when they decided to sign them up for … Continued

VIU launches $20-million expansion of trades-training complex

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Vancouver Island University’s Marine, Automotive and Trades Complex is about to expand and the school will get a new energy system thanks to a $22-million injection of funding from the federal and provincial governments. The expansion of the trades-training complex means there will be room for 128 more students in the automotive, motorcycle, marine and carpentry programs.  Read more…..

Vancouver Sun – Opinion: Investing in student success pays dividends

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B.C. leads the nation in job creation, low unemployment and robust economic growth. Linked to this prosperity is a talented and creative workforce of British Columbians who have been educated in our universities, colleges and institutes. Today, 70 per cent of B.C. jobs are filled by employees with post-secondary credentials — a number that is forecast to steadily rise in the years ahead. This was not always the case. As recently as the early 1990s, the workforce was evenly split … Continued

Dr. Thomas Carey appointed as Executive-in-Residence for Teaching & Learning Innovation

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Dr. Thomas Carey appointed as Executive-in-Residence for Teaching and Learning Innovation, at the BC Association of Institutes and Universities (BCAIU). Reporting to BCAIU President Ruth Wittenberg, Dr. Carey will provide consultation and advice to BCAIU on inter-institutional collaboration to advance teaching and learning, and will serve as Executive-in-Residence beginning May 1, 2016. Dr. Carey currently works with higher education institutions, networks and systems in Canada and the U.S., on leadership strategy and faculty collaborations for exemplary teaching and learning environments.  … Continued

Yukon College welcomed as member of BC Association of Institutes and Universities

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March 21, 2016 WHITEHORSE-The BC Association of Institutes and Universities (BCAIU ) has welcomed Yukon College as its newest member. Through joining the association of four universities and three institutes, the future Yukon University will obtain valuable guidance and experience of other institutions that have recently evolved to university status. “We are delighted to welcome Yukon College to BCAIU”, said Board Chair Dr. Mark Evered (President, University of the Fraser Valley).  “Our shared commitments to student success and regional prosperity make this a great fit.”  Read more….   … Continued

Globe and Mail | Emily Carr University and students will be catalysts for new creative district in Vancouver

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Ron Burnett likes to say how Emily Carr “kicks above its weight.” It may sound like uncommon talk from a president of an art school. Yet, Emily Carr University of Art + Design in Vancouver is a key focal point for one of British Columbia’s strongest and fastest growing sectors, its creative industries. And now, with Emily Carr’s move in 2017 from Granville Island to a new campus a few kilometres away in the False Creek Flats neighbourhood, lying just south by … Continued

VIU Tuition Waiver Grad Launches Career as Child Protection Officer

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Life has come full circle for Jordanna Southall, who graduated in June from Vancouver Island University’s (VIU) Bachelor of Arts in Social Work program. One of the first students to enroll at VIU under the Youth in Care Tuition Waiver program nearly two years ago, Southall has secured a job as a child protection officer with the Ministry of Children and Family Development in Campbell River, BC. – See more

University of the Fraser Valley researchers say unmanned aircraft could be the answer to keeping birds at bay

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Researchers at the University of the Fraser Valley believe drones may finally silence the cannons that boom throughout the summer on blueberry farms. Professor Tom Baumann and his team are reprogramming helicopter-like UAVs — properly known as unmanned aerial vehicles — to fly preset patterns over ripening blueberries in the hope they will scare way the birds that feast on farmers’ fruit and kill their profits.  Read more….