A local group that has been working to establish a rural campus of the Nicola Valley Institute of Technology (NVIT) in Burns Lake is not giving up.
The rural post-secondary education committee (RPEC) recently encouraged the Village of Burns Lake to do a follow-up impact assessment of programming reductions at the Lakes District campus of the College of New Caledonia (CNC). The first assessment, which was conducted by an independent source in September 2015, cost the Village of Burns Lake approximately $20,000.
“RPEC believes it would be a good idea to have an independent source produce another impact assessment,” explained RPEC member Scott Zayac.
The 2015 assessment predicted there would be 81 full-time equivalent (FTE) students and 22 employees in the 2016/17 academic year at the Lake District campus.
According to CNC, the number of FTE students in the 2016/17 academic year was even lower than what the study predicted - 49 - while the number of staff was 20.
In 2013/14, the Lakes District campus had 323 FTE students, and in 2012/13 it had 124 staff.
“We’re wondering how does that continue to impact the community, and where we will be in the long run if we don’t address it,” said Zayac.
According to CNC, even though the number of FTE students and staff have significantly declined in the past few years, the Lakes District campus is seeing “record enrolment numbers” in its online and continuing education courses.
Hope for a new college
When asked if the rural post-secondary education committee (RPEC) is still confident that a new college may be established in Burns Lake, RPEC member Scott Zayac said “yes.”
“We are hopeful that the new provincial government will continue to work with the community to make this happen,” he said. “Bringing in NVIT into the community would provide much needed programs and services to the community as well as help diversify the local economy.”
However, NVIT currently has no firm plans to open a campus in Burns Lake.
Earlier this year, Ken Tourand, NVIT’s President and CEO, said that before a campus can be established up north, two things needed to happen.
“The Ministry of Advanced Education has to be behind us and fully supportive, and we need an invitation from the First Nations community saying that they want us to come in,” he explained.
Last week Tourand said he still hadn’t had a chance to speak with the new ministry of advanced education.
“With the election and the new government, I haven’t even had the opportunity to chat with the new minister or the new deputy minister,” he said. “So as for right now there has been no movement at all with respect to NVIT opening up a campus in the Burns Lake area.”
Meanwhile NVIT is working directly with Lake Babine Nation and expects to deliver some programming for the community in the fall.