Concrete Poured for Campbell River Expansion of NIC

December 29, 2017

NORTH ISLAND – North Island College ended 2017 with a significant milestone in December when the foundation and floor was poured for the college’s new Heavy Duty Mechanics shop in Campbell River.

Almost 60 trucks were on hand for the continuous pour, which took a full day to complete and required the help of local  concrete suppliers, pumpers and finishers.

The pour is part of a major upgrade to the Campbell River campus which will include new learning spaces for future North Island mechanics, aircraft structures technicians, cooks and more. Provincial and federal funding for the upgrade was announced early in 2017.

Other 2017 highlights included the following events and accomplishments.

January 2017: NIC received funding from the federal and provincial governments to transform its Campbell River campus into a more student focused campus. The work includes new heavy duty, aircraft structures and professional cook facilities, as well as a new library and learning commons and renovations to Timberline Secondary School classrooms, shops and administrative offices.

February 2017: NIC welcomed almost 1,000 Grade 11 students to its Comox Valley and Port Alberni campuses to explore post secondary classes and life.

March 2017: NIC received funding for health care assistant, aquaculture TV and Film Crew Training programs across the region, with the first class of TV and Film Crew Training students graduating in December 2017.

April 2017: NIC and the Alberta College of Art + Design (ACAD) announced a new fine arts degree partnership to provide NIC fine arts students the opportunity to transfer directly from an NIC diploma into Year 3 of a degree at ACAD.

May 2017: NIC’s Centre for Applied Research, Technology and Innovation (CARTI) sponsored robotics camps for students aged 9 to 12. Almost 290 students from Port Hardy to Ucluelet participated this year, learning vital science, technology, engineering and math skills while constructing Lego-based robots.

June 2017: NIC graduates Sara Baxandall and Kelsey Anglin launched a new alumni association to connect NIC graduates from all program areas.

July 2017: Registration opened for a new Awi’nakola Land Based Learning program at NIC’s regional campus in Port Hardy. The pilot Adult Basic Education program was developed in response to the calls to action of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, allowing students in the Mount Waddington region to study Kwak’wala while upgrading English and math and learning culture and language from local elders.

August 2017: The Canadian Nurses Association honoured three NIC nurses, Elder-in-Residence Evelyn Voyageur, alumna Dawn Tisdale and instructor Joanna Fraser, as being among its top 150 nurses in Canada.

September 2017: Hundreds of NIC students shared a record $290,000 in scholarships and bursaries distributed by the NIC Foundation this year. The funds include 15 recipients of the Aitken Legacy Scholarships, who received $2,500 each.

October 2017: NIC Carpentry students donated a custom built greenhouse built for the Prime Chophouse and Wine Bar in Courtenay.

November 2017: NIC launched a unique Vancouver Island program which gives NIC degree credit to McDonalds’ employees who have completed management training courses. The program gives these employees a pathway into completing a business degree.

“2017 has been a remarkable year for North Island College and the communities we serve,” said NIC President, John Bowman. “I’m incredibly proud of the hard work that has been put in by the entire college community to support students across the region.”

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