Happy New Year! At BC Colleges we are looking forward to a productive and exciting year. This year we will continue to focus on providing the right highly skilled, job-ready graduates to meet the growing demand in BC during 2015 and beyond.

As we move forward, it’s vitally important that we match the students graduating from our institutions with labour market demand. This is not an easy task as it varies greatly by region and involves a high degree of co-ordination between provincial and federal governments, post-secondary institutions and employers.  While challenging, our 11 member colleges are uniquely positioned to ensure this matching happens efficiently. Our on-the-ground presence in more than 60 communities in BC means that we are closely involved with the timing and the types of skilled graduates needed by employers.

I would also like to take this opportunity to welcome Honourable Andrew Wilkinson to his new portfolio. We look forward to his attendance at today's Council of President's meeting and to working with him to achieve the Advanced Education objectives outlined in the BC Skills for Jobs Blueprint.

I hope you will take a few minutes to learn more about the recent activities and announcements from our 11 member colleges. For a full list of this month's news, please check out  "In the News" on our website.

As always, I welcome your feedback. You can reach me by e-mail.
Sincerely,
Jim Reed

Nathan Wilson, a 2012 graduate from NWCC’s Freda Diesing School of Northwest Coast Art, was at the center of a totem pole raising ceremony in Kitimat on November 20. Hundreds of community members joined Mount Elizabeth Middle Secondary School (MEMSS) to witness the raising of a pole created by Wilson. Read more.

Creating ways for Selkirk College students to get the most out of their time spent in the classroom is enhanced by strong transfer agreements with other post-secondary institutions in British Columbia. Selkirk College Vice President of Education & Students Neil Coburn has been recognized for his work on helping build the impressive system across the province. Read more.

An instructor at the College of New Caledonia has published an award winning textbook on Aboriginal health care in Canada. Dr. Vasiliki Douglas, CNC nursing instructor and expert on Indigenous health care, wrote Introduction to Aboriginal Health and Health Care in Canada, the first entry-level textbook of its kind. Read more.

North Island College received an award at the “Oscars” of Innovation for Higher Education this week, taking home second place in the Discipline Award in Life Sciences and Medicine at the Reimagine Education Awards. Read more.

Students were given a first-hand opportunity to learn about different cultures while hosting 203 international students from 34 countries. Read more.

The first time I set foot in Douglas College was to watch my mom graduate. I was a teen at the time, but the look on her face as she crossed the stage to receive her first post-secondary credential is still imprinted in my memory. Read more.

VCC is now offering two new University Transfer certificate programs that will enable students to gain assured admission into second-year SFU applied science degree programs. Read more.

A four-week natural gas sector training program with tuition and support available to eligible participants starts Feb. 2, 2015 at Okanagan College’s Vernon campus. Read more. 

Langara College is pleased to announce that two short films produced by Langara Film Arts students have been selected for the Whistler Film Festival and the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) Short Cuts Canada program. Read more.

Technology and science traditionally influence innovation in the skilled trades, making them more effective, efficient and safer. But an emerging social phenomenon is leading to a new type of trades innovation. Read more.

Kristiana Bailey, a Fort St. John Campus AHCOTE (Alaska Highway Consortium on Teacher Education) student is a BC Aboriginal Student Award recipient this year. Bailey’s goal after graduation is to achieve her dream of becoming a primary school teacher. Read more.