The origins of the Pacific Vocational Institute can be traced back to 1955, when the overflow of apprenticeship classes for the Vancouver Vocational Institute were housed on the on the grounds of the Pacific National Exhibition (PNE) in Vancouver. In 1957, the administration of the PNE programs was taken over by the Provincial Department of Education. In 1958 the programs became part of a new vocational school named the Federal Provincial Technical Training Institute. Lt. Col. John W. Inglis was appointed Principal.;In 1959, the British Columbia Government announced plans to establish a permanent vocational school in Burnaby. The British Columbia Vocational School was officially opened on June 29, 1960. BCVS absorbed the FPTTI programs and initially offered 14 courses which ranged from six months for most trades, to two years for aeronautics. Classes were divided into pre- apprenticeship, apprenticeship, pre-employment and upgrading to provide training in special areas for journeymen already working in the field. Col. Inglis served as the schools first Principal.;On March 1977 a five member British Columbia Vocational School Advisory Board, with Mr. Leslie R. Redford named as Chairman, was appointed by Education Minister Dr. Pat McGreer, to oversee the development of a new vocational trades and training institute. On September 27, 1977, Bill 82 The Colleges and Provincial Institutes Act was given Royal Assent by the British Columbia legislature. Under this Act, BCVS and the Haney Educational Centre in Maple Ridge were combined and renamed the Pacific Vocational Institute. Henry Justesen was named Chief Executive Officer of the new institute and remained so for the duration of the schools independent existence. Satellite facilities included the former BCVS Aircraft Maintenance Centre that had moved to newly renovated buildings at the Vancouver Airport in 1977.;PVI was to function under one board of industrial representatives who would maintain direct financial control, planning and operation of the institution. Appointed by cabinet, the following individuals were named to the Board of Governors: Leslie R. Redford, Frank Redder, Don Fearey, Jake Wyman, Donald Doyle, E. A. Killough, T. Wyman Trineer, T. Stuart Mathieson, and Nadine Sherwin. By 1983, the school registered about 23,000 students. In 1986, the Pacific Vocational Institute merged with the British Columbia Institute of Technology and remains a part of that institution to the present.