![]() |
us with unique opportunities.
The Selkirk College Story
Selkirk
College began in the hearts and minds of citizens who shared a common vision of
providing access to high-quality, post-secondary education in the West Kootenay.
Selkirk College s roots can be traced back to 1964-65, when discussion
and community forums culminated in a regional vote in favour of funding British
Columbia's first regional college. The official opening of Selkirk College
occurred in the fall of 1966, when the first classes commenced, albeit in
temporary buildings provided by Celgar, the local pulp mill.
Selkirk
College was named for the Selkirk mountains, which surround the college. Though
often considered part of the Rocky Mountain Range, the Selkirk mountains belong
to an older geological epoch, consisting mainly of crystalline or highly
metamorphosed rocks, granites, gneiss and schists.
The official and
current site of Selkirk College at the confluence of the Columbia and Kootenay
rivers was opened in 1967. Selkirk College is one of the first colleges in
British Columbia to have been created as the result of a community referendum.
It is also the oldest regional college in the province.
Many of our
trades programs have been in continuous operation on the present day Silver King
Campus of Selkirk College since 1964 when the facility was then called the
British Columbia Vocational School, Nelson. It was the first such institute in
BC and it officially became part of Selkirk College in 1975. |
![]() |
