GEARING UP FOR NEW SKILLS AT MOHAWK COLLEGE
McGuinty Government Expands Training Opportunities In Hamilton
More Hamilton-area students will get the skills they need to find good jobs with help from the Ontario government.
The province is investing $9.2 million in a new centre dedicated to growing the number of skilled apprentices in Ontario's burgeoning transportation industry. The Gerald Marshall Transportation Centre will house new equipment, labs and a shop able to accommodate up to three full-sized tractor trailers. Students will train for careers as auto mechanics, truck and coach technicians, and servicers. The building's official opening is slated for September 2009.
The centre is part of a larger renovation project that will transform Mohawk's Stoney Creek campus into the Mohawk STARRT (Skilled Trades and Apprenticeship Research, Resources and Training) Institute, a major centre for skilled trades training and apprenticeships. Once complete, the new space will allow Mohawk to increase enrolment in skilled trades programs to 870 a year. It will also grow apprenticeship opportunities in the region by 35 per cent — or more than 3,500 students a year.
That growth will add more skilled tradespeople to Ontario's workforce. This will help Ontario-based industries facing skilled labour shortages in areas such as construction transportation stay ahead. It will also ensure the province remains strong and prosperous despite a changing economy.
The Ontario government has invested more than $16 million in the Mohawk STARRT Institute. Other key supporters of expanding skilled trades and apprenticeship opportunities include the Marshall Family and Marshall Truck and Trailer Repair Ltd., Arcelor Mittal Dofasco and the Hamilton Future Fund.
QUOTES "The skilled trades are the place to be. We have the jobs, but we need the people to fill them. Now, Mohawk College will be able to train more students to go onto fulfilling careers," said Premier Dalton McGuinty.
"We're investing in the skills and knowledge of our people so they can work in high-paying, skilled jobs that will strengthen our economy and improve everyone's quality of life," said Ted McMeekin, MPP Ancaster-Dundas-Flamborough-Westdale.
"This investment is great news for our community – it will create jobs in the short-term and help students develop the skills they need to succeed in the future," said Sophia Aggelonitis, MPP Hamilton Mountain.
QUICK FACTS - An apprentice is someone who learns a skilled trade on the job, under the direction of more experienced workers.
- Mohawk College trains 3,000 apprentices every year, making it one of Ontario's largest trainers of apprentices.
- Approximately 110,000 apprentices are currently learning a trade in Ontario.