Camosun gets funding boost for shipbuilding and repair program
Camosun College will receive $155,000 and will offer two cohorts for up to 28 student spaces in an entry-level ship-repair and shipbuilding program as part of BC’s Skills for Jobs Blueprint. The program will be in partnership with the Industrial Marine Training and Applied Research Centre. According to a press release from the provincial government, approximately $10 billion in new investment is predicted to be made to the ship repair and shipbuilding sector by 2020, which will create 1 million job openings. The entry-level ship repair and shipbuilding program will be Camosun’s first.
Local game companies create scholarship for Camosun
Camosun’s Graphic Novels program now has an annual $500 scholarship, created from donations from local video game companies and the Victoria Advanced Technology Council (VIATeC). The University of Victoria’s Computer Science program received a $1,000 annual scholarship.
Camosun offers new tourism diploma
In response to growth in the tourism industry, Camosun College is offering a new post-degree diploma in Applied Tourism and Hospitality. The program will offer business skills and hands-on training to assist students entering the tourism field. Students need to have an undergrad degree from a recognized postsecondary institution.
Former Camosun instructor heads back to Gaza
Human-rights activist Kevin Neish, who used to teach heavy duty, marine diesel, and commercial transportation courses at Camosun, is in Gaza with the Freedom Flotilla III. Neish is the ship’s chief engineer. The ship is being used to carry cargo and passengers to Gaza as part of the campaign to break the Israeli occupation and blockade.
More open textbooks available online
The provincial government recently announced that there will be 50 new open textbooks available this fall. The new books will cover trades training, adult basic education, and culinary arts, and will bring the total number of open textbooks available to students to more than 120.
CRD approves funding for housing
The Capital Regional District (CRD) board recently approved the recommendation to award a $425,000 grant to go towards affordable rental housing. The grant will assist Latitude Living in the construction of a housing project located at 521 Comerford Street in Esquimalt.
Potential wastewater treatment sites named
The Eastside Select Committee (which includes the districts of Saanich and Oak Bay and the City of Victoria) recently presented a longlist of potential sites for wastewater treatment. Head over to crd.bc.ca/eastside to see more information on the sites.
Youth with bipolar disorder wanted
If you’re between the ages of 16 and 25 and have a diagnosis of bipolar disorder, you are eligible to take part in a forum to engage youth living with the disorder. The first forum is happening on Sunday, July 12 at the Victoria Event Centre. Registration is free and participants receive $50 for their time, as well as free lunch and snacks. See bipolarbabe.com for more info or go to byap-forum.eventbrite.com to register (registration closes June 30).
Local authors prized
Victoria’s Robert Budd recently won second prize in the British Columbia Historical Federation’s Historical Writing Awards for Echoes of British Columbia: Voices from the Frontier, published by Harbour Publishing. Budd received $1,500 for the award, which honours authors making contributions to BC’s historical literature. As well, North Saanich-based poet Patrick Lane recently won the Raymond Souster Award for Washita, also released by Harbour Publishing. The Raymond Souster Award is a national poetry prize.
More Capital Region Housing properties go smoke-free
The Capital Region Housing Corporation (CRHC) recently announced that 21 more of their housing properties will go smoke-free. The CRHC have already made seven of their affordable-housing properties smoke-free since the iniative began in 2007.
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