January 2024 was off to a tremendous start with news that Bow Valley College received a $9.5 million grant from the Government of Canada to support Internationally Educated Nurses (IENs).
The Employment and Social Development Canada investment in the Foreign Credential Recognition program was developed in collaboration with Calgary Region Immigrant Employment Council (CRIEC).
Bow Valley College’s Competency-Based Canadian Nurse Bridging program will use Pivot-Ed micro-credentials to upskill more than 250 IENs, helping them effectively integrate into the Canadian healthcare workforce.
The first cohort of participants began this year and is on track to complete the program by the end of January 2025.
It was game on! in September 2024 with the grand opening of Bow Valley College’s $5 million esports arena.
The new 3500 sq. ft (325sq. m) arena in Bow Valley College’s South Campus holds more than $1 million in state-of-the-art technology. It can be used to host tournaments, test game play, and as a workspace for the college’s accelerator programs.
Some highlights of the arena:
The skills that our Esports Business Management Diploma students will gain from the arena will help them launch great careers as event organizers or broadcast producers, content creators, team coaches, managers or esports program coordinators.
For esports and gaming enthusiasts in the Calgary community who hope to scrim or take part in a showmatch, Bow Valley College will open the arena to the public in 2025. Stay tuned for news on that!
What’s an esports arena without a home team? Bow Valley College has its first-ever varsity team.
The Bears will compete in weekly competitions with collegiate esports teams across North America while learning more about the world of professional esports. Varsity players receive exclusive access to the varsity training room, coaching, campus perks, and honorariums for competing.
It’s a great addition to Bow Valley College’s student life. We can bear-ly contain our excitement and look forward to seeing how our team fares on the competitive esports scene.
Our team options:
In November, Bow Valley College’s Indie Ignition Accelerator wrapped up its 12-week program awarding $60 thousand in prize money to digital creatives who participated in a boss level pitch competition at Platform Calgary.
Supported in part by the Opportunity Calgary Investment Fund (OCIF), Bow Valley College’s Digital Entertainment Nexus accelerator program is led by experts in game development, esports, marketing, and legal fields. They provide mentorship and advice, helping participants with their game and business ideas.
The next cohort of Indie Ignition, with intakes for film and animation, game development, and esports is currently taking applications and is set to begin in 2025.
Work is well underway to revolutionize healthcare competency, training, and regulatory compliance through Compliance Health powered by Bow Valley College.
The scalable digital platform will integrate training modules, track compliance in real-time, and use artificial intelligence (AI) insight. This will help mitigate the risk of non-compliance in the evolving health sector, reducing fines and penalties.
Approved by the Government of Alberta, Compliance Health will initially be wholly owned by Bow Valley College. The corporation will have an independent board with representation from the college.
“Alberta’s Government encourages post-secondary institutions to find creative ways to generate their own revenue, and I am glad to see this initiative from Bow Valley College. This subsidiary will allow Bow Valley College to monetize innovative software designed to help health care organizations enforce required training, attract and retain talent. Bow Valley College’s plan supports the Alberta 2030: Building Skills for Jobs strategy, which encourages innovation and commercialization, and I look forward to seeing this come to fruition.” – Rajan Sawhney, Minister of Advanced Education.
Reaffirming its commitment to reconciliation and Indigenous learners, Bow Valley College endorsed the groundbreaking protocol developed by Colleges and Institutes Canada (CICan) during the association’s national 2024 Connection Conference.
The college is the 72nd CICan member to sign the protocol withseven guiding principles that reflect meaningful ways colleges and institutes can demonstrate their support for Indigenous education, delivering on the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Calls to Action.
Bow Valley College heads into 2025 with a new strategic plan: Launch | Advance | Evolve. As Calgary’s college, we empower students to achieve success through high-quality, career-relevant programs, and personalized wrap-around supports. We are catalyst for change and growth and will strategically align our goals and innovations in applied research and technology with economic and social needs.
The college is also preparing to unveil its production hub, part of our Digital Entertainment Nexus. The space for Calgary’s creative industries will have a virtual production space, volume wall, dailies room, and motion capture. Construction is expected to wrap in a few months. Watch for updates right here.
Season's Greetings from Calgary's College
Bow Valley College
345 - 6 Avenue SE,
Calgary, AB T2G 4V1
+1 403-410-1400
1-866-428-2669 (toll free)
