There are many options for learning at UBC Okanagan, including micro-credentials to support careers in health care, communications and sustainability. Learners can now apply for the StrongerBC future skills grant to add to their skill set.
UBC Okanagan will once again take part in the provincial government's StrongerBC program that will help people upgrade their professional skills in a variety of careers.
The StrongerBC future skills grant provides up to $3,500 towards tuition for short-term, career-focused training at public post-secondary institutions. At UBC Okanagan, the grant supported 140 working professionals in 2025, including nurses, sustainability practitioners and wildfire specialists who completed micro-credentials designed to build specific, in-demand skills to improve their employability.
The program is flexible, so participants can learn while also balancing full-time jobs and family commitments.
For some, the results were immediate. Liz Green, a registered nurse, enrolled in UBC Okanagan's Case Management and Care Coordination for Primary Care Nursing micro-credential to explore a career shift. The practicum took her to an urgent primary care clinic and, while there, she was hired into a new role.
"Out of my practicum, I was able to connect with an Urgent Primary Care unit, and I'm now working where I want to be," says Green, who completed the program while working full-time and raising a family. "The practicum gave me a window into what's happening in the industry. I could identify with it and I realized, I can do this."
Green is one of a growing number of BC professionals using grant-funded micro-credentials to make meaningful career moves. Sandy Acheson, a registered nurse with 32 years of experience at the South Similkameen Health Centre in Keremeos, took the Health Assessment for Primary Care Nursing micro-credential and found it changed her daily practice.
"Every time we were learning something, I was going back to work and sharing key points with my colleagues and applying them right away," says Acheson. "I'm nearing the end of my career, and to be able to take a course like this has been incredibly refreshing. It keeps your brain engaged."
The grant also benefits learners outside of health care. Dr. Aderonke Oyeyiola, a research associate and sessional lecturer at the University of Northern British Columbia, enrolled in UBC Okanagan's Pathways to Sustainability micro-credential to add practical tools to her research.
The coursework used a lifecycle assessment software called SimaPro, which made the course especially useful, says Dr. Oyeyiola.
"What stood out most in this course was the hands-on work with SimaPro," says Dr. Oyeyiola. "Being able to model different production methods and end-of-life scenarios really helped me understand how decisions at each stage affect the environment and support a circular economy. I genuinely enjoyed the course and found it very useful for my projects."
Jackie Denison, UBCO's Associate Provost, Teaching and Learning, says the StrongerBC future skills grant program opens doors for many people with established careers who are looking to develop new skills, or make a career change.
"The province's StrongerBC future skills grant program enables learners to take that next step in their careers. They can advance, change direction or find a new path," Denison says. "We're proud that UBCO can be a partner in learning opportunities for so many working professionals."
The StrongerBC future skills grant, launched in 2023, is open to BC residents aged 19 and older regardless of financial need. This year, eligible UBC Okanagan programs include:
- Applied Lifecycle Assessment and ESG Reporting for Circular Economy (formerly Pathways to Sustainability: Circular Economy)
- Health Assessment for Primary Care Nursing
- Capstone Portfolio for Primary Care Nursing Fundamentals
- Fundamentals of Wildland Fire Ecology and Management
- Foundations for a Restorative Approach: Health Care Harm and Well-being
- Case Management and Care Coordination for Primary Care Nursing
- Caring for Select Populations for Primary Care Nursing
- Health Promotion, Prevention and Screening in Primary Care Nursing
- Environmental Impact Assessment: Approaches and Practice
For details and application information, visit: cpe.ok.ubc.ca/help-centre/strongerbc-future-skills-grant
The grant is funded by the Province of British Columbia.
