Health-care students at BCIT get new $100M centre
The British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT) will be home to a new Health Sciences Centre (HSC) that will educate and train future health care professionals to meet the growing demands of British Columbian families.
The Ministry of Advanced Education is providing $66.6 million towards the four-storey, 10,355 square metre (111,460 square-feet) simulation-based education centre. The new centre will be one of the largest centres for health simulation training in Canada, and will be unique in its ability to replicate a variety of hospital and laboratory settings.
In addition to providing modern teaching and learning spaces, the new centre will enable consolidation of BCIT School of Health Sciences programs within a more efficient precinct of buildings, and support collaborative delivery of programs to students.
Simulation environments are a critical component of health sciences education because they combine academic learning with situation-based experiences. Simulations enable students to safely practise health-related scenarios within a controlled environment as they develop their clinical skills.
The B.C. government is making record investments in modern, safe infrastructure projects throughout the province, and in doing so, these construction projects are creating high-paying, family-supporting jobs. These investments are possible because of the fiscal plan of the B.C. government.
Construction of the new HSC at BCIT will begin in summer 2018, and support the creation of 270 direct and 175 indirect jobs. Completion is expected in 2020.
Job growth in the health sector is greater than the provincial average. The British Columbia 2025 Labour Market Outlook forecasts this growth will continue with more than 83,000 job openings due to the need for replacement workers and continued expansion.