Interest-free student loans and $1,000 completion grant will help students succeed: NDP

A John Horgan BC NDP government will help students get a start in life and get the skills they need to succeed by eliminating interest on BC student loans and offering a $1,000 completion grant to people who complete their studies, it was announced on Wednesday.

“At a time when more and more people are struggling to get by, Christy Clark and the BC Liberals have made it harder than ever for people to upgrade their skills and get ahead in life,” said Horgan.

“We’re going to fix that. We will ensure every British Columbian has the opportunity to pursue post-secondary education and skills training programs by eliminating interest on BC student loans and offering $1,000 in student loan relief for people who complete their studies.

“We have a growing tech sector that is already employing more than 100,000 British Columbians, and they need more skilled employees. We’ll help them grow and help British Columbians succeed by making post-secondary more accessible and affordable.”

The NDP will train skilled workers and create opportunities for people by:

* Making all current and future BC student loans interest free.

* Providing a $1,000 completion grant for graduates of college, university and skilled trades programs to help pay down debt when they finish their programs.

* Investing $100 million to expand technology-related post-secondary programs and investing in talent in information and communications, digital media and entertainment, life sciences and health, clean-tech, IT and engineering and more.

* Eliminating fees for Adult Basic Education and ESL and keeping a cap on tuition fees at colleges and universities.

* Introducing a new graduate student scholarship fund to encourage excellence in BC’s graduate programs.