$32,000 Donation goes to the Okanagan College Carpentry Shop

Okanagan College just received a giant cheque for the carpentry shop in Kelowna.

Jim and Yvonne Lamb, owners of Vintage Design Ltd., donated $32,000 to help with the renovations in Kelowna.

“Supporting higher education is so important in general but particularly in this industry, said Yvonne Lamb. “We hope this gift will remind and inspire others to keep passing on their knowledge and support to tradespeople-in-training.”

“I didn’t get here by myself,” Jim Lamb said. “I was able to learn my trade and build a business because people supported me and helped me learn along the way. And now I’m a firm believer that we need to invest in the next generation and ensure they know how to build it right the first time.”

This isn’t the first time the two have helped with the college. It all started in 2007 when Jim Lamb invited classes from the Residential Construction program to work side by side with experienced trades people in Kettle Valley.

Students worked with Lamb, who was the general contractor for the Home of Learning projects. Once the homes were completed and sold more than $225,000 was donated to the College as well as the Village of Kettle Valley to start awards for students.

“We are very grateful to Jim and Yvonne Lamb for their long-time support of students over the years and now for this generous donation toward the new carpentry shop,” said Steve Moores, Dean of Trades and Apprenticeship at Okanagan College.

The Vintage Design fund has provided over the past decade $17,400 in tuition credits to 10 students in the Residential Construction, Plumbing, and Electrician programs.

Okanagan College is in the middle of upgrading existing shops at the Kelowna campus to match the same goals for sustainability as the new Trades Training Complex, which is being built on KLO Road.

“It’s a great time to get into this trade and an important time for employers to support education so that we have a skilled work force going forward,” Lamb said.