Trades and technology students at Okanagan College received a major upgrade from the provincial government on Thursday.

The school received $160,000 to buy up-to-date equipment for its trades and technology programs, part of $3-million distributed throughout the province.

That money will be put to good use with roughly 82,000 tech-related job openings and about 71,000 trades openings in the province in the next decade.

Photo Credit: Contributed.

"A world-class learning environment at Okanagan College is helping build the skills of our students, and this new equipment is one way we'll be able to continue to provide that excellence in education,” said Okanagan College president, Jim Hamilton.

“Our students will go on to work in trades from culinary arts to electrical and help build and manage the region's technological infrastructure with the most up-to-date skills.”

Millwrights, heavy duty mechanics and carpenters are some of the most in-demand jobs across the province.

In the tech industry, civil engineering, computer and software engineering, programming, web development and technicians are also in high-demand.