Strategic Adjustments

We have not cancelled any programs at this time. However, we have suspended some intakes of:

• Accounting – Postgraduate Diploma
• Blacksmithing and Metal Art – Certificate
• Business Management – Postgraduate Diploma
• Ceramics – Certificate
• Ceramics – Advanced Certificate
• Culinary Management – Diploma
• Culinary Management – Postgraduate Diploma
• Full-Stack Web Development – Postgraduate Diploma
• Geomatics in the Workplace - Advanced Certificate
• Gerontological Nursing – Postgraduate Diploma
• Hospitality Management – Postgraduate Diploma
• Mental Health and Addictions – Associate Certificate
• Resort & Hotel Management – Diploma
• Textiles – Certificate

Explore a list of programs that may be eligible for post-graduation work permits. The college continues to monitor the IRCC list and will update the list as any changes occur.  

To meet the decline in international enrolment, we have suspended the intakes of several programs and introduced new cost-saving measures, including strategic hiring, better space utilization and spending restrictions. The college closed the Applied Research and Innovation Centre building, relocating work to campuses in Castlegar and Nelson. It is closing learning centres in Kaslo and Nakusp and the Victoria Street Campus, formerly the Kootenay School of the Arts (KSA), in Nelson.

We’re trying to minimize layoffs by identifying voluntary workforce reduction opportunities. We’ll be leaving several vacant positions unfilled and have not renewed contracts in some cases.  

We are working closely with the three unions representing employees at the college: BC Government Employees Union (BCGEU), Selkirk College Faculty Association (SCFA) and Public Private Workers of Canada (PPWC).   

In 2025, there were workforce reductions of approximately 43 full-time equivalent positions across all employee groups in the college related to changes in federal immigration policy. 

This includes layoffs, contract non-renewals, early retirements, voluntary work reductions and decisions not to backfill vacant positions. 

Regular ongoing employees and short-term employees across all employee groups have been affected. 

Information for 2026 will be available at a later date.

We are seeing an increase in domestic student enrolment alongside the anticipated decrease in international student enrolment.

Selkirk College is engaging in an internal consultation process about whether, and in what ways, the college might participate in a particular stream of Canada’s Defence Industrial Strategy (DIS).

This stream consists of new national workforce development initiatives to train Canadian Armed Forces learners and veterans in dual-use technologies that also support civilian preparedness, emergency response, sovereignty protection and community resilience. It also involves funding for applied research projects that can support our regional businesses to enhance their productivity.

Colleges and polytechnics have been identified as key partners for Canada's defence plans because they do three practical things: they train people with the hands‑on skills so employers can hire locally; they help turn new technologies into real products by doing applied research, building prototypes and testing ideas that can be used in a wide range of settings; and they strengthen emergency readiness through short courses and micro-credentials, giving communities the ability to expand capacity quickly when a crisis hits.

The college is conducting a survey among its internal community about the implications of the college’s potential participation in the DIS. No decisions on the college’s involvement will be made until the survey closes and the results have been compiled and reviewed.

Any steps we take will ultimately be guided by our mission, academic integrity and our commitments to long-term sustainability.