Okanagan College cheers new funding

Okanagan College is pouring a pint of gratitude after a ground-breaking announcement from the federal government revealing $1.75 million in new funding for the college.

The federal funding boost will be used over five years for the proposed BC Beverage Technology Access centre, headquartered in Penticton B.C.

The building will provide testing, business services and applied research assistance to the wine, beer, cider and spirits industries throughout the Okanagan valley and the province.

“This is very exciting for the industries and for Okanagan College,” notes OC President Jim Hamilton. “We have developed a significant track record of training and support for the wine industry over the past quarter century and have been focused on how we could leverage college expertise and personnel to assist all these growing industries. The industry support for the proposal we developed has been phenomenal and the input that organizations, businesses and individuals provided was invaluable.”