Fort St. John, B.C.- Northern Lights Collegehas received  nearly a million dollars from the Federal Government  to manage the installation of an oil rig structure, and convert it into a training facility.

The oil and gas sector is one of the largest and fastest growing segments of the Canadian economy, generating more than $80 billion in revenue each year.  There are estimates that due to industry growth and an aging workforce, the oil and gas industry will need to hire at least 39,000 new employees by 2020.

This investment of $930,000 will support the establishment of a training facility that will simulate the environment and working conditions of a fully operational well-site. With the expanded offerings available through this project, the College will be able to provide students with a broader range of skills, making them more employable and able to take advantage of opportunities in this growing industry

"Given the importance of the oil and gas industry in our region, and the projections that large numbers of skilled workers will be needed to meet labour demands, this oil rig training facility will quickly become a key component of NLC1s Centre of Excellence in Oil and Gas," said Laurie Rancourt, President and CEO of Northern Lights College. "We are grateful for the generous contributions from our industry partners and Western Economic Diversification. It is through this type of collaborative effort that we will succeed in meeting the future training needs of industry and our communities."