[SteelTown]

Premier delivers $9.2m for Mohawk apprentices

August 20, 2008
The Canadian Press

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 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.

"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.