Okanagan College is reporting a significant growth in trades and apprenticeship programs this fall with enrolment up by 21 per cent. Overall the number of students taking classes at the College remains steady.
The largest area of enrolment growth this fall is in the Trades and Apprenticeship area, with a 21 per cent increase (660 students vs. 547 in 2012). The Penticton campus saw a 9.3 per cent growth in student numbers, while Kelowna and Vernon’s enrolment was nearly steady.
“One of the interesting things about the fall snapshot is that our overall enrolment held steady this fall, while the number of Grade 12 students from the school districts within our region dropped by about 3.4 per cent last year,” says Dr. Andrew Hay, Vice President Education for the College.”
Health and social development programming grew to 467 students, up by 11 per cent. Student numbers in Arts programs across the institution dropped by about 11 per cent (1,267 students compared to 1,420).
Science, engineering technology and business program headcounts are relatively stable this fall compared to last; each is within about one per cent of last year’s numbers. The number of international students grew to 382, up by 11 per cent.
The fall enrolment picture is a snapshot that only tells a part of the story: Okanagan College has many programs that start at different times of the year.
Numbers drawn from the fall enrolment report show 5,853 students taking courses as of mid-September. Hay notes that during the 2012-13 academic year 21,356 people took courses at the College.
