Quesnel, B.C. – A birthday bash and open house will mark the 10 year anniversary of the North Cariboo Community Campus (NCCC) in Quesnel this weekend.

The facility, which is home to both the College of New Caledonia (CNC) and the University of Northern British Columbia (UNBC), provides a venue for post-secondary education in the city.

To celebrate, a private birthday party (Friday night) and an open house (Saturday, 10 am to 4 pm) have been scheduled.

The open house will feature a food vendor, attractions and workshops for the whole family while parking will be free of charge.

Quesnel Mayor Bob Simpson says the campus, once thought unattainable, has become “a critical part of our community.”

“From the perspective of a place where our young people can do their preliminary education before they move on to Prince George and UNBC or the College of New Caledonia or go to other communities to get their post-secondary education.”

Has it helped keep Quesnel residents in town?

“Yeah, absolutely. It’s not just keeping Quesnel residents here but also attracting people to come to Quesnel,” he says. “We’ve had people come into the trades program here, discover our community, and then find a way to stay here. The same goes with the nursing program.”

Simpson says the program offerings have also allowed Quesnel “to recapture people who may have gone away to work” in places like Fort McMurray and the Peace.

“Things go cold there, they come back into the community and they realize that they can upgrade their skills – whether that’s in the trades sector or their academic skills to be able to move on in their career,” he says.

“So it’s really part of our retention strategy to keep people in town, it’s part of our attraction strategy and it’s also something that we can take great pride in, it’s a beautiful campus sitting overlooking the Quesnel River.”