Nicola Valley Institute of Technology
The Nicola Valley Institute of Technology (NVIT), founded by five First Nations, focuses on learning that is based on Indigenous culture, tradition and knowledge. Nearly 80 per cent of students are Indigenous and the school is fully governed by members of the First Nations community. An Elders council provides support and guidance for approximately 1,400 students. In 2020, the school introduced an immediate entrance bursary covering one year of tuition for all Indigenous Grade 12 graduates in B.C. All NVIT offerings have an Indigenized curriculum, including career-training programs in business, health, environmental studies, education, trades, justice studies and human services.
An Indigenous-centred bachelor of social work is the only program of its kind in the province. The school’s Centre of Excellence in Sustainability features lab space, solar and geoexchange technologies, a culinary arts teaching kitchen, a greenhouse and a gymnasium for large campus events. Some of NVIT’s programs are offered online, and two travelling trades-training centres—fully equipped for electrical work, welding, millwrights and piping and plumbing—bring 12-week trades courses to rural locations.
Quick facts
School size:
Small
Tuition:
Degree $3,000-$4,500
Diploma $3,000-$5,900
Certificate $2,000-$3,500
Residence offerings:
Yes
Popular programs
Health Care Assistant Certificate
Indigenous Early Childhood Education Certificate
Indigenous Human Services Certificate
Indigenous Holistic Wellness and Addictions Certificate
Indigenous Language Fluency Certificate
Cool options
Language Fluency: One-year degree and certificate programs are open to members of Indigenous communities who speak Nłe ?kepmx, Nsyilxcen, Nadut’en, Niwhkinic, Secwépemc or St’át’imcets.
Indigenous Human Services: Students learn social work through an Indigenous perspective, blending contemporary practices with Indigenous ways of knowing. Graduates can move directly into the bachelor of social work program.
Indigenous Holistic Wellness and Addictions: Courses focus on healing through understanding the history of the colonization and genocide of Indigenous people and of complex trauma theory.
