Two grants will become up for grabs for some students attending Coast Mountain College (CMTN) starting this fall.
The PRPA has sponsored the $1,500 grants for environmental sciences, sustainability, engineering, or business students.
In a bid to recruit more students from the college to the port, the two new awards will be geared toward those wanting to stay in northern B.C. and work in the port industry. Indigenous students and those in need of financial support will also be given priority for the grants.
At a Prince Rupert Chamber of Commerce luncheon, Ken Veldman, PRPA Vice President for Public Affairs and Sustainability, said the port is looking to snap up some of the international talent attending CMC.
Veldman said international students from African countries, Thailand and India have been choosing the Prince Rupert campus due to the presence of the third-largest port in Canada.
“The Prince Rupert Port Authority Academic Excellence Awards and Supporting Trade Apprenticeships Award recognize and support local students excelling in their fields and demonstrate PRPA’s continuing commitment to strengthening the innovative trade gateway that anchors northern BC’s economy and the communities that enable it,” said Shaun Stevenson, President and CEO, Prince Rupert Port Authority.
The PRPA’s newest investment into the CMTN Foundation, which “works to ensure students have the resources they need to succeed,” according to the college, will help students with the increasing cost of living, said Yvonne Koerner, CMTN Foundation Executive Director.
“These new awards will both make a significant impact in the lives of the students that receive them,” she said. “Students are experiencing increasing financial pressures, from rent, to groceries, to childcare.”