THUNDER BAY – Confederation College’s long-awaited, much anticipated $19-million Technology, Education and Collaboration Hub should help unlock the future of technology in Ontario’s north.
The impact will be far reaching, said college president Kathleen Lynch, one of the driving forces behind the 45,000 square-foot facility, noting it will play a significant role training the next generations of skilled-trades workers that are desperately needed in the workforce.
“It really demonstrates our commitment to making sure our graduates have the latest skills and the best available equipment, so when they graduate, they’re job ready and they’re bringing forward innovation to their own industries that they’re going to be working in,” Lynch said.
The building, constructed next to the McIntrye Building, will also help attract students to the campus, with promises of the latest, state-of-the-art training equipment on site.
“Our environment is everything. We have this beautiful building and people can see they’re going to come here and get the latest and best experience that we have to offer,” Lynch said. “I think it opens our doors to attracting students from other parts of Ontario.
“We get the majority of students from Northwestern Ontario coming to Confederation College, but given our declining demographic in the age group that attends college, we really have to make ourselves marketable to other student populations in other parts of the province, as well as our international students.”
Former college president Jim Madder, one of the driving forces behind the creation of the TEC Hub, said it’s a dream come true.
“It is a building, but it’s about what the building can do in supporting our students for learning, development of new programs, support of economic development, so I’m quite thrilled today,” said Madder, who plans to help with a $5-million capital fundraising campaign aimed at securing further training equipment for students to learn upon.
MPP Michael Gravelle, whose Liberal government provided $9 million in funding for the project, said it was a great use of taxpayer dollars, a project that will pay dividends for decades to come.
“There’s no question we have a real need to develop our manufacturing base here again in Northwestern Ontario. That’s one of the real focuses of the TEC Hub, diversifying the workforce and building up the advanced manufacturing base,” Gravelle said.
Liberal MP Don Rusnak, whose government also contributed to the project, said it fits with their mandate for innovation, training and middle-class jobs.
“That’s what this training centre will provide – those types of jobs. Far too often we’ve been pushing students in academia, in sociology, psychology. I know a lot of people my age went through that route and ended up not employed,” Rusnak said.
“Our friends who became plumbers and trades people were making money, owning houses and being a part of the economy. We really need to refocus on how we train people and train people for the jobs of today.”
