College of New Caledonia hosting open houses this week

“We have incredible opportunities for people in our regions to learn and grow and study, so it’s an opportunity for us to share our programs and our services, our facilities, our staff, our faculty. It really is CNC being alive and vibrant in our community,” said CNC’s Vice President of Student Affairs Shelley Carter-Rose.

“It’s always great for our students to see what opportunities exist for them at the post-secondary level and with CNC really focusing more on the trades and trades opportunities, I think really does allow some of our students to see what the various paths and training availabilities are here within Prince George,” said School District 57 Superintendent Jameel Aziz.

Both Aziz and Carter-Rose believe the benefits for students preparing for post-secondary school can be helpful in figuring out where you want to go after highschool, and Carter-Rose adds its never too early to think about your future so students of all ages are invited.

“This is an opportunity for us to welcome students who may be even in grade nine,” she said.

CNC has prioritized recruiting domestic students for this year and beyond, and the community-based focus of open houses can help keep students in the same city or region they grew up in.

“We’re really just augmenting and looking at connecting and building relationships, so we talked a lot about our dual credit opportunities and our trade discoveries for high school students, really building on that capacity,” Carter-Rose said.

As for SD57, Aziz said the District is always looking for ways to improve and strengthen its partnerships and initiatives with CNC and the University of Northern British Columbia, and he says the student interest has been quite strong in staying local.

“Speaking to some grads at their various capstones across high schools this year, a lot of our students are planning on staying in Prince George, whether it’s going to go to CNC or to UNBC. We really want to make sure that our students realize the opportunities that are available here,” Aziz said.

Open house attendees will be entered to win one of two 1000 dollar tuition credits, and any registered prospective student would also be able to waive their application fee until the end of march. Beyond that financial incentive, both Carter-Rose and Aziz believe it’s definitely worth checking out for any student trying to plan their future.

“You get to meet people, you get to do a tour of the facility, you get to see programs. You can talk to people about your application,” Carter-Rose said.

“20-plus years ago, it was very difficult to convince parents, probably more so than students, that a trades path would be a really good opportunity for their kids. And now I see more and more students who are pursuing trades paths and trades opportunities, because they are career fields that have growth. They certainly need people,” Aziz said.

You can learn more about CNC’s open houses at its website here.

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by Tommy Osborne

College of New Caledonia hosting open houses this week

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