“We are number one in the country for job creation and many of those jobs will require education in the skilled trades,” Premier Christy Clark told a large gathering. “The new trades training facility in Campbell River will help ensure Vancouver Island students are able to build a future in Canada’s leading economy.”

As a part of the work, NIC shops and classroom space from its Vigar Road campus will move to new buildings in NIC’s main Campbell River campus on Dogwood Street. This creates new facilities for aircraft structures, heavy duty / commercial transport and professional cook students.

The renovations also include a new sim lab and mock homecare suite for practical nursing students – providing high tech spaces for students to practice their skills before graduation. All Campbell River students will also have access to newly renovated labs, project rooms, flexible shops, a new student commons, a redesigned library, an Aboriginal students’ lounge as well as a modern bistro and student services area at one combined campus.

NIC will continue to share the campus grounds with Timberline Secondary School under a new duplex-style floorplan that separates the high school and the college into two separate institutions.

“Campbell River has been waiting for this for a long time,” said NIC President John Bowman. “We thank the federal and provincial governments for investing in new facilities that will provide students with industry-ready shops as well as upgraded office and learning spaces for both the school district and college.”

This announcement will mean location changes for some Timberline Secondary classrooms, labs and the secondary school’s trade spaces; the details of which have not been fully finalized. Timberline will receive $1.5 million in renovations as part of the project.

“We look forward to continuing to work with North Island College in negotiating how the College’s intended structural changes can produce an end result that is to the mutual benefit of Timberline students and the North Island College community,” said School District 72 Superintendent Tom Longridge. “As the details for potential changes to Timberline Secondary are finalized, we will provide more information to the Timberline school community.”

The Government of Canada’s Post-Secondary Institutions Strategic Investment Fund and the BC Government will each contribute $5.75 million to the project. NIC will be responsible for the remaining $2 million, bringing the total costs to $13.5 million.

The renovations are scheduled to be operational by spring 2018, with tender and construction to begin in early 2017.

For more information, visit www.nic.bc.ca.