The Centre for Trades Education and Innovation at Camosun College has been renamed for a family that donated $1 million to the Camosun College Foundation.
The building is now called the Bhalla Centre for Trades Education and Innovation, after Munjeet, Jeety and Jindy Bhalla made the donation in honour of their late parents, Tara and Sela Bhalla.
The college said the gift will be used to bolster its capital reserves.
“Tara and Sela, who were deeply committed to education and community, valued the opportunities that a post-secondary education provides and its importance to not only their children but also to other newcomers,” the college said in a statement.
“They actively worked to support the integration of Indian immigrants into British Columbia and were committed to giving back to their community.”
Jeety Bhalla, a Camosun alumnus and former Camosun College Foundation chair, said education was always central to his parents’ lives.
“They encouraged us to pursue higher education and to strive for our best,” said Bhalla, who served on the foundation board for 14 years, 10 of them as chair.
The Centre for Trades Education and Innovation, built in 2015 on Camosun’s Interurban campus, offers a wide range of trades programs.
It has specialized equipment and labs for the marine and metal trades, such as welding, sheet-metal fabrication, and shipbuilding and repair, as well as training facilities for heavy-mechanical and automotive-service technician programs.
Camosun president Lane Trotter expressed gratitude to the Bhalla family “for their generosity and belief in the transformative power of post-secondary education.”
He said Jeety Bhalla’s time as chair of the Camosun Foundation “helped break down barriers for students and helped them succeed in their studies.”
“The Bhalla Centre for Trades Education and Innovation is a fitting legacy for the Bhalla family.”
