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The quick read: Okanagan College will receive 256 new skilled-trades training seats, part of the province's Look West strategy to deliver 5,000 new trades seats in 2026-27. The new seats aim to cut wait lists for in-demand apprenticeship programs in construction and housing, automotive, manufacturing, critical minerals and clean energy. It is welcome news for an Okanagan economy that needs builders, fixers and makers.

Good news for anyone who makes a living with their hands: Okanagan College is getting 256 new skilled-trades training seats.

The seats come as part of the provincial government's Look West strategy commitment to deliver 5,000 new trades training seats in 2026-27. The announcement was made in Kelowna at an event featuring Okanagan College student Emily Frick, an automotive refinishing technician, who spoke about her experience in the trades.

Where the seats go

The new seats will reduce wait lists for in-demand apprenticeship programs and increase training capacity in high-demand careers, including construction and housing, critical minerals, automotive, manufacturing and clean energy.

Okanagan College is the second-largest public trades training institution in the province, and its president, Dr. Neil Fassina, said the students and apprentices who benefit "will go on to build and maintain the infrastructure that British Columbians rely on every day, from housing, technology and transportation networks to the systems that support agriculture, growing communities and local businesses."

Fassina pointed to demand close to home, including major construction projects at the college itself and at Kelowna International Airport, where skilled trades professionals are already shaping the region's future.

Kelowna's aerospace angle

Kelowna is B.C.'s third-largest aerospace hub, home to approximately 18 percent of the province's aerospace companies, according to the college. A partnership between Okanagan College and the BPL Legacy Foundation and KF Aerospace is building a new aerospace training facility that will expand aircraft maintenance-engineer program capacity from 64 to 144 students by 2028.

Local companies such as KF Aerospace, CAE and TerraSense Analytics are already active in defence-related work, creating opportunities in aircraft maintenance, advanced manufacturing, remote sensing and artificial intelligence.

Why this matters

For years, the message to young people has been that success means a university degree and a desk job. The Okanagan's economy tells a different story: it runs on electricians, welders, mechanics, carpenters and builders, and it cannot find enough of them.

More training seats will not fix everything on their own. But shorter wait lists, more apprentices and more local people trained for local jobs is a step in the right direction, and a reminder that skilled trades are not a fallback. They are the foundation.

Source: Okanagan College, "Expanding skilled-trades training in the Okanagan," 2026.