A new, first of its kind program at Okanagan College is providing students with the training needed to meet the increasing demands of the insulation industry.
The Residential Insulator program's first batch of students are already receiving full-time job offers in the Okanagan, and a second intake is expected in November.
"This group of students have excelled with their training and are driven to create new careers for themselves,” says instructor Luke Egely. “They are just beginning to see the opportunities this training could open up to them.”
Work BC and the Ministry of Social Development and Poverty Reduction are financially backing the six-month program for the time being, meaning eligible students are receiving tuition-free training.
Egely says he's hoping that the program, currently offered at the College's Vernon campus, will expand to other Okanagan campuses and beyond.
"I would like to see it as a national trade program," says Egely. "We have had discussions around possibly working on a trainer program and bringing in new teachers so that we can expand the program. However, we haven't gotten there quite yet."
Egely says he's already seeing interest from post-secondary institutions across Canada, and even from the United States, who hope to offer this type of training as well.
The insulation installation industry is currently seeing a boom in the Okanagan area, with more and more developers leaning towards environmentally-friendly project designs.