VICTORIA – Future health professionals across the province will benefit from an additional 188 student spaces to get the training they need as nurses, health care assistants and pharmacy technicians to provide the high-quality health care B.C. families deserve.
One-time funding to improve access to health education programs helps to meet immediate and projected employment needs in the health-care field throughout the province. B.C.’s post-secondary system is helping to provide faster, safer and better health care for individuals and families across British Columbia by ensuring students in the health-care professions have the skills and training they need to succeed in the future.
The B.C. government is providing almost $1.5 million in one-time funding to support the expanded delivery of nine health-care programs at six colleges and universities in the province.
“It’s important that we continue to support programs across B.C. to train health-care professionals. Our investment underscores our commitment to ensuring all families in B.C. have access to quality health care, because healthy families mean a healthy economy and vibrant and prosperous communities for our province in the years ahead,” said Minister of Advanced Education Naomi Yamamoto.
Northern Lights College received funding Health Care Assistant spaces in Chetwynd and Practical Nursing spaces in Fort St. John.
“Health sciences are an important programming area at Northern Lights College, and the college is pleased to receive this financial support from the Province, making our programs accessible through videoconference to students located at our campuses in Chetwynd and Fort St. John,” said Dr. Peter Nunoda, Vice President, Education at NLC.
“Health-care professionals are needed throughout northern British Columbia, and this investment assists in educating and training our community members to fill these important positions in the health-care system.”
Funding was also provided to Camosun College in Victoria, College of the Rockies in Cranbrook, Kwantlen Polytechnic University in Surrey, Selkirk College in Castlegar, and Vancouver Island University in Duncan.