The Kitimaat First Nation outlined their quest for a partnership with NVIT through an information release last week which outlined its desire to develop Indigenous focused training in the Northwest, offering up its Kitimat Vally Institute as a base for NVIT programs.
The Merrit based educational institution became a public post secondary institution in 1985 and currently runs two full time programs with KVI.Expanding the number of programs that NVIT could offer along with its partnership with BCIT would offer a variety of Trades and Technical programs, many of which are only available in the Lower Mainland.
With the prospect of LNG Canada's terminal project on the horizon the demand for expanded training is something that the Haisla hope to fill through their partnership with NVIT, something that Haisla Chief Councillor Crystal Smith made note of last week.
“Haisla Nation understands the benefit that will come to the entire region through the expansion of high quality, accredited post-secondary training in Kitimat. This level of education is important for the region as we prepare workers for the many positions that will be available as part of the LNG Canada project.”
To move the initiative forward, NVIT has made a request of the Ministry of Advanced Education for core funding for the northwest campus a request that the Haisla Nation council is very supportive of.
More background on the ambitions from the Haisla and NVIT can be reviewed here.
The Nicola Valley Institute is currently a fairly popular would be partner for post secondary education, recently Burns Lake had been exploring the possibility of the institute offering programs in that community, those calls coming after the community expressed disappointment with the level of course options that are offered by the College of New Caledonia.
NVIT has also partnered with the Coastal Training Centre in Prince Rupert to offer courses on the North Coast.
April 2018 -- Coastal Training Centre seeks work placement sponsors
September 2017 -- NVIT keeps eyes on North for next campus location
March 2017 -- Nicola Valley Institute considers Northern expansion
Coast Mountain College has centralized a lot of their trades programming in the Northwest at the Terrace campus in recent years and could feel some impact from an additional post secondary institution moving into the region.
Should NVIT find success with its request for funding for the Kitimat venture, that would make for two locations in the region looking to fill trades training options, with the NVIT project able to call upon the footprint of the LNG industry in the Kitimat region as a beneficial element of their curriculum planning.
For more background on notes from the Kitimat region see our archive page here.
A look a current post secondary options in the Northwest can be found from our Education archive.
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