DEWALT partners with Humber to support the next generation of skilled trades professionals

Gift will be used for scholarships and supports for students

By Chris Clay on
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A group of people stand underneath a sign that reads DEWALT Guaranteed Tough.

DEWALT is helping Humber College students in the skilled trades thanks to a partnership and $300,000 donation that will be used for scholarships, tools for students and additional meaningful supports.
 
Guests and dignitaries gathered at the Humber Centre for Skilled Trades and Technology on February 15 to officially kick off the partnership and celebrate the gift. The guests connected with Humber leadership and enjoyed a tour of the Centre and DEWALT’s new recognition plaque following the announcement.
 
“DEWALT is proud to be a partner of Humber College and its Centre for Trades and Technology, providing financial support for training and scholarships, tools and equipment,” said Allan Hawes, general manager of Stanley Black & Decker Canada. “We believe it is important to work with programs such as those offered by Humber College to help ensure that Canada’s young tradespeople have the training and tools they need for their future success.”

Two people smile and pose for a photo beside a sign that reads DEWLT Skills Training Room.
 
The gift will be used to establish the DEWALT Pathways to the Trades Scholarships. There will be two scholarships of $2,500 each that will be given out annually as well as $6,000 allocated for emergency bursaries in the Centre for Skilled Trades and Technology.
 
The gift will be used to supplement the Centre’s collection of tools and will also go towards providing students who demonstrate need with tools they require for their profession once they graduate.
 
“Thanks to the generosity of DEWALT, our students will be trained on the tools used on the job sites of today and will also supplement their toolkits with the additional tools their careers require,” said Michael Auchincloss, associate dean, Faculty of Applied Sciences and Technology. “DEWALT’s investment in the Centre for Skilled Trades and Technology will help Humber train the next generation of skilled workers and continue to help fill the skilled trades gap.”
 
The gift will also be used for product awards, student support and Centre initiatives. The student support includes funding for the Pre-Apprentice and Pathways to the Skilled Trades programs.
 
As well, DEWALT will provide brand ambassadors to appear at Humber events and support recruiting the next generation of skilled trades professionals.
 
One of their brand ambassadors is Kate Campbell. Fans of HGTV will remember her as one of the crew from Holmes on Homes and as one of the hosts on Custom Built. She also runs her own company Kate’s Contracting Inc.

DEWALT power tools sit on a table next to a helmet with the Humber College logo.
 
Lynn vanLieshout, manager of community projects, Community Outreach and Workforce Development at Humber said Campbell can serve as an aspirational model for girls and young women who are thinking about entering the trades, which have traditionally been a male-dominated field.
 
With a push to address the existing labour shortage in the skilled trades, Humber is making a concerted effort to entice more women and those from equity-deserving groups to consider the trades as a possible career. Having a high-profile woman such as Campbell can help with those efforts, said vanLieshout.
 
Humber’s new relationship with DEWALT will also support the College's continued pursuit to own the Skills podium with tools for students competing and coaching support.