November 9, 2007
Media contact: Kim Lawrence
604-864-4611
or 1-888-504-7441, local 4611
cell: 604-302-6257
kim.lawrence@ucfv.ca
UCFV new Trades & Technology Centre welcomes students
Just ten months ago, on a snowy January day, Premier Gordon Campbell stood inside an empty concrete shell of a building in Chilliwack and announced $29 million of funding for UCFV’s Canada Education Park campus. $21.6 million of that funding was earmarked for the renovation of what was once a military supplies store and motor pool, and what is now UCFV’s brand-new Trades & Technology Centre.
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UCFV Trades & Technology Centre, Chilliwack
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Front entrance, UCFV Trades & Technology Centre
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Students in electronics lab
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Architectural drafting lab
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Automotive bay
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Carpentry shop
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Welding shop
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| Wired classroom |
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| Central atrium, cafeteria |
Over the past few weeks, groups of eager-looking students have ventured through the new glass entranceway for the first time to begin training for their new trades. The bulk of students began their studies in the centre in a staggered fashion over the course of October, in disciplines such as architectural drafting, automotive service, carpentry, heavy-duty/commercial transport technician training, electrical work, electronics, and joinery. Classes in professional cooking, hospitality and event planning and welding will begin in the Centre mid-November.
It has been an ambitious project; one that many speculated could not be done in the time allotted. And while the paint may still be tacky in places and the unpacking not entirely complete, the two-acre “recycled” facility is indeed open and represents a dramatic improvement over the cramped space the Centre once occupied on UCFV’s Abbotsford campus. Students will enjoy the latest technology in all areas, including classrooms that are wired to the hilt, a fully equipped computer lab, and a hotel-grade all natural-gas kitchen from which professional cook trainees will serve up meals during the day.
Other special features include a professional dining room, where cooking and hospitality students will practise their new skills; a highly automated computer numerical control (CNC) machine, used for delicate woodworking in the carpentry/joinery shop; a heavy-duty hoist capable of lifting a city bus; a simulation lab for industrial electrical work; and the first programmable robotic welding arm to be used in a training facility in western Canada.
The official opening of the building will take place sometime in the coming months, after which public tours will commence on a regular basis. Interested students can apply now for programs beginning in 2008 (details here).
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