Camosun College, a community college in Victoria, British Columbia, is set to get a new state-of-the-art marine simulator with the help of $700,000 in funding from the J.D. Irving company Atlantic Towing Limited (ATL).
ATL has arranged for the funding to be provided over a three-year period by another Irving company, Irving Shipbuilding, Inc. (ISI), as part of a commitment made under Canada’s National Shipbuilding Strategy. The simulator will make it possible for Camosun to offer a wider range of courses and develop a Cadet/Bridgewatch program to increase the number of marine professionals entering the industry.
Camosun College operates two campuses on the traditional territories of the Lekwungen and W̱SÁNEĆ peoples on Vancouver Island, and its Camosun Coastal Centre is housed on Songhees Nation territory. The establishment of a Cadet/Bridgewatch program will permit students to remain on Vancouver Island to complete training. Students interested in seafaring or marine services must currently leave the island to receive necessary training.