Vancouver Community College is a public

community college A community college is a type of educational institution. The term can have different meanings in different countries: many community colleges have an "open enrollment" for students who have graduated from high school (also known as senior s ...

Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the city, up from 631,486 in 2016. ...

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, for ...

, Canada. Founded in 1965, it is the largest and oldest

in British Columbia, offering 91

certificate Certificate may refer to: * Birth certificate * Marriage certificate * Death certificate * Gift certificate * Certificate of authenticity, a document or seal certifying the authenticity of something * Certificate of deposit, or CD, a financial pr ...

programs, 31

diploma A diploma is a document awarded by an educational institution (such as a college or university) testifying the recipient has graduated by successfully completing their courses of studies. Historically, it has also referred to a charter or offici ...

programs, and 3

bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to si ...

programs. VCC has two campuses: Broadway and Downtown. The college accommodates 26,000 students each year from a variety of nations, about 8 percent of whom are

international student International students, or foreign students, are students who undertake all or part of their tertiary education in a country other than their own and move to that country for the purpose of studying. In 2019, there were over 6 million internati ...

History

Vancouver Community College was established as Vancouver City College in 1965 through a merger of four local educational institutions: the Vancouver Vocational Institute, the Vancouver School of Art, the Vancouver School Board's Night School Program, and the King Edward Senior Matriculation and Continuing Education Centre. Classes were initially held in the facilities of the King Edward Centre. In 1970, the college opened a campus in the Langara neighbourhood, which became an independent college in 1994. Vancouver City College was renamed as Vancouver Community College in 1974, when it separated from the

Vancouver School Board The Vancouver School Board (VSB; officially School District 39 Vancouver) is a school district based in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. A board of nine trustees normally manages this district that serves the city of Vancouver and the Uni ...

. In 1983, the main campus was moved from the King Edward Centre location at 12th Avenue and Oak Street to its current location at 1155 Broadway, now known as the Broadway campus. The present Downtown campus comprises the former facilities of the Vancouver Vocational Institute.

Campus

Vancouver Community College has two campuses, which are accessible by Vancouver's SkyTrain. The Downtown campus is located at 200-block Dunsmuir at Hamilton (two blocks west of Stadium–Chinatown station) in

Downtown Vancouver Downtown Vancouver is the central business district and the city centre neighbourhood of Vancouver, Canada, on the northwestern shore of the Burrard Peninsula in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. It occupies most of the north shor ...

. VCC's second campus, known as the Broadway campus, is at 1155 East Broadway, by the

VCC–Clark station VCC–Clark is an elevated station on the Millennium Line of Metro Vancouver's SkyTrain rapid transit system. The station is named after the nearby Vancouver Community College (VCC) located in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada and serves as ...

. VCC also has nearly three dozen community outreach and learning centres. January 2009 marked the opening of VCC's $55 million Broadway campus expansion project. $44 million was funded by the Government of British Columbia and the balance by VCC and community donors. The new building is and seven storeys tall, home to VCC's health sciences training programs. From 2014 to 2022, VCC shared facility space with BCIT on Annacis Island, where both institutions offered programming in heavy mechanical trades. In 2022, VCC closed programming at its Annacis Island campus, transitioning the majority of its heavy duty programs to BCIT and moving the remaining programs to its Broadway campus.

Governance

Vancouver Community College is a

public In public relations and communication science, publics are groups of individual people, and the public (a.k.a. the general public) is the totality of such groupings. This is a different concept to the sociology, sociological concept of the ''Öf ...

institution of

post-secondary education Tertiary education, also referred to as third-level, third-stage or post-secondary education, is the educational level following the completion of secondary education. The World Bank, for example, defines tertiary education as including univers ...

administered by a Board of Governors, on behalf of the

Government of British Columbia The Government of British Columbia (french: Gouvernement de la Colombie-Britannique) is the body responsible for the administration of the Canadian province of British Columbia. A constitutional monarchy, the Crown is the corporation sole, ass ...

and the Ministry of Advanced Education and Labour Market Development. The board determines policy and reviews the college's performance as detailed in the College and Institutes Act. It also has primary responsibility for fostering the college's short- and long-term success. The VCC Board of Directors consists of eight members appointed by government along with the VCC president, the Chair of Education Council and four elected Board members, including one

faculty Faculty may refer to: * Faculty (academic staff), the academic staff of a university (North American usage) * Faculty (division) A faculty is a division within a university or college comprising one subject area or a group of related subject ...

representative, one support staff representative, and two student representatives. VCC was the only institution to hold the distinction of having the support staff representative act as board chair.

Staff and faculty

CUPE Local 4627 Vancouver Community College Employees' Union (VCCEU), a trade union, not an association, represents approximately 600 support staff at Vancouver Community College and is covered by the CUPE Support Staff Collective Agreement (CUPE Local 4627). CUPE local 4627 workers provide services in: instruction, program assistance, finance, Aboriginal, administrative, bookstore, library, communication, food services, laboratory demonstration, research, IT, print, and media technology. VCCEU was formed in 2003 and represents the technical employees, warehousemen, program assistants and cafeteria workers in the Food Trades division of the VCC. CUPE 4627 held their first strike in November 2012 with 96% support for a strike and successfully ratified a new agreement in March 2013 with no concessions and did not agree to the formulary. On February 27, 1951, the Labour Board certified a

bargaining unit A bargaining unit, in labor relations, is a group of employees with a clear and identifiable community of interests who is (under US law) represented by a single labor union in collective bargaining Collective bargaining is a process of negoti ...

of instructors, counselors, and

librarian A librarian is a person who works professionally in a library providing access to information, and sometimes social or technical programming, or instruction on information literacy to users. The role of the librarian has changed much over time ...

s in programs conducted by and at Vancouver Vocational Institute. That bargaining unit was called the Vocational Instructors' Association. This unit continues at VCC. The Vancouver Community College Faculty Association (VCCFA) represents approximately 750 instructors, counselors, librarians, and health nurses working in Metro Vancouver. VCCFA is a member of the Federation of Post Secondary Educators of B.C. (FPSE Local 15). Employment for instructors, librarians, counselors, and department heads is covered by the Faculty Association Collective Agreement.

Academics

VCC offers career programs leading to one-year certificates, two-year diplomas, and four-year

s in fields such as the arts, business, trades, and health sciences. The college offers both full-time and part-time programs in spring, summer, and fall terms. Individual courses are also available to supplement

high school A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...

education or offer

continuing education Continuing education (similar to further education in the United Kingdom and Ireland) is an all-encompassing term within a broad list of post-secondary learning activities and programs. The term is used mainly in the United States and Canada. ...

Student life

Many of Vancouver Community College's programs require students to train in local businesses and facilities to gain practical skills. A number of these are located on campus, open to students and the general public. JJ's Dining Room at the downtown campus, is run by

culinary art Culinary arts are the cuisine arts of food preparation, cooking and presentation of food, usually in the form of meals. People working in this field – especially in establishments such as restaurants – are commonly called che ...

s students. The Four Corners restaurant and the Seiffert Market are run by VCC hospitality management students. The Broadway and Downtown campuses have several coffee and snack kiosks as well as full-service cafeterias. The VCC salon at the Downtown campus offers hairstyling and esthetics services from students learning in the Hair Design and esthetics programs.

Student government

The

Students' Union A students' union, also known by many other names, is a student organization present in many colleges, universities, and high schools. In higher education, the students' union is often accorded its own building on the campus, dedicated to ...

of Vancouver Community College (SUVCC) was formed in 1974. Based at the Downtown campus, its goal is to provide and encourage access to recreation, events, and opportunities for VCC students. SUVCC also offers students a health and dental plan and low cost access to student services. It is a member of the

Canadian Federation of Students The Canadian Federation of Students (CFS) is the largest student organization in Canada, representing over 530,000 students from across Canada. Formed in 1981, the stated goal of the Federation is to represent the collective voice of Canadian ...

and participates in the British Columbia U-Pass programme.

Student services

VCC is accessible to students with

disabilities Disability is the experience of any condition that makes it more difficult for a person to do certain activities or have equitable access within a given society. Disabilities may be cognitive, developmental, intellectual, mental, physical, ...

who study in either specialized programs or in mainstream programs. Access to equipment and

braille Braille (Pronounced: ) is a tactile writing system used by people who are visually impaired, including people who are blind, deafblind or who have low vision. It can be read either on embossed paper or by using refreshable braille displ ...

or taped class material is available. VCC also provides sign language interpreting o
TypeWell
services for Deaf, hard-of-hearing and DeafBlind students for all educational needs. Advisors can provide exam accommodation, job search assistance, and community resource referrals. The college also offers on-site licensed, non-profit child care, professional counselling, and on-site health services with a doctor at each campus. International students can access educational planning, study permit extensions, and obtain medical insurance and applications for work permits.

Aboriginal services

VCC is a member of the Coastal Corridor Consortium, which works to improve levels of participation and success for Aboriginal students. The Consortium includes the Lil'wat Nation, Musqueam Nation, Sechelt Nation,

Squamish Nation The Squamish Nation, Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw () in Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Sníchim (Squamish language), is an Indian Act government originally imposed on the Squamish (''Sḵwx̱wú7mesh'') by the Federal Government of Canada in the late 19th c ...

, Tsleil-Waututh Nation, United Native Nations,

Métis The Métis ( ; Canadian ) are Indigenous peoples of the Americas, Indigenous peoples who inhabit Canada's three Canadian Prairies, Prairie Provinces, as well as parts of British Columbia, the Northwest Territories, and the Northern United State ...

Nation British Columbia,

Capilano University Capilano University (CapU) is a teaching-focused public university based in North Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, located on the slopes of the North Shore Mountains, with programming that also serves the Sea-to-Sky Corridor and the Sunshin ...

, Native Education College. VCC has a specialized Aboriginal Education and Services department to provide a range of services for Aboriginal students including academic and personal support and referrals, cultural workshops and Elder support. The Broadway and Downtown campuses both have unique areas classified Aboriginal Gathering Spaces. Aboriginal Elders are on site at each campus to help students with studies and counseling.

Notable alumni

* Kevin Cherkas

References

External links

* {{authority control Educational institutions established in 1965 Universities and colleges in Vancouver Colleges in British Columbia Vocational education in Canada 1965 establishments in British Columbia