The Selkirk College Story

Selkirk College began in the hearts and minds of citizens who shared a common vision of providing access to high-quality, post-secondary education in the West Kootenay.

Selkirk College’s roots can be traced back to 1964-65, when discussion and community forums culminated in a regional vote in favour of funding British Columbia's first regional college. The official opening of Selkirk College occurred in the fall of 1966, when the first classes commenced, albeit in temporary buildings provided by Celgar, the local pulp mill.

Selkirk College was named for the Selkirk mountains, which surround the college. Though often considered part of the Rocky Mountain Range, the Selkirk mountains belong to an older geological epoch, consisting mainly of crystalline or highly metamorphosed rocks, granites, gneiss and schists.

The official and current site of Selkirk College at the confluence of the Columbia and Kootenay rivers was opened in 1967. Selkirk College is one of the first colleges in British Columbia to have been created as the result of a community referendum. It is also the oldest regional college in the province.

Many of our trades programs have been in continuous operation on the present day Silver King Campus of Selkirk College since 1964 when the facility was then called the British Columbia Vocational School, Nelson. It was the first such institute in BC and it officially became part of Selkirk College in 1975.