Humber’s skilled trade programs are about to get a boost. 

The Centre for Skilled Trades and Technology – 110 Carrier Drive – is undergoing a $9.5 million expansion. The Carrier Drive location houses simulated worksites, including electrical labs, renovation labs, a woodworking lab and a plumbing shop. 

Over the next three years, Humber will contribute approximately $2.16 million from its capital priorities fund and will receive more than $1 million from Ontario’s Apprenticeship Capital Grant (ACG) for the project, which includes a 16,620 square-foot addition to the Centre. 

“We’ve been doing a lot of pre-apprenticeships lately because of the shortages in Ontario. The one thing that really put a damper on them was not having the room. The expansion will allow us to migrate the HVAC programs from the North campus and will actually allow us to utilize the existing space within the building better,” said Michael Auchincloss, associate dean of the Faculty of Applied Sciences and Technology. 

The expansion will allow Humber to add even more trades to its portfolio and facilitate learning innovation. 

“This investment will explore and implement alternative methods of course delivery, such as balanced online and in-person learning and the use of virtual reality and augmented reality, that will provide students with multiple choices to support their learning style,” said Farzad Rayegani, senior dean of the Faculty of Applied Sciences & Technology. 

The new classrooms will also be outfitted with technology to record lectures so students can access them later. 

Rayegani says Humber’s investment in the expansion at 110 Carrier Drive shows the college’s commitment to building a strong workforce to address the skilled trade shortage in Ontario. 

For more information on the Centre for Skilled Trades can be found here.