THUNDER BAY - Political and education leaders say an investment by the federal government into a new facility set to open this academic year at Confederation College will provide world-class training to students in the region to help fill skilled trade jobs across Northwestern Ontario.
On Wednesday, it was announced that FedNor is investing $1 million toward purchasing equipment to be used inside Confederation College’s new TEC Hub.
Confederation College president, Jim Madder, said these types of investments allow the college to bring in state-of-the-art equipment for the facility. The equipment that will be used inside the 45,000 square-foot TEC Hub include virtual reality technology, multi-axis computer numerical controlled milling machines, and production-grade 3D printers.
“It is the perfect timing,” Madder said. “I am leaving at the end of the month. They are doing the final touches on the building and allowing them to have that new equipment ready for when they come where in the fall.”
The total cost of equipping the building is approximately $5 million and the TEC Campaign has already received $2 million from the Northern Ontario Heritage Fund Corporation and with future investments expected over three to five years, Madder said they are pushing well towards that $5 million goal.
“We are not buying all the equipment on day one,” he said. “There will be equipment there on day one, but it will change over a period of time. This is a long-term investment for the future. It is making certain we stay at that high level for that facility.”
Thunder Bay-Rainy River MP, Don Rusnak, said investing in the TEC Hub at Confederation College is about investing in regional economic development.
“This project is part in parcel of the plan for Northwestern Ontario to make sure we are training for the jobs in the future,” he said. “This is one of the most advanced facilities across the country for doing that type of training for highly skilled workers.”
Rusnak added that the TEC Hub is going to have a significant impact on the region because not only will it attract students to the college, it will provide training to people already living in the region to fill jobs in areas that are lacking skilled trades workers.
“We are hearing that we are not training for the jobs for the future,” he said. “We hear from companies like Bombardier and other manufacturers in the region saying they do not have enough skilled trades. We are looking at immigration to provide some of those temporary solutions, but really, we have the bodies here in Northwestern Ontario, we just need to train them correctly.”
Construction on the $19 million TEC Hub, which is attached the McIntyre Building, began in 2016 and is expected to open to students the first week of September this year. It will house the engineering technology programs and the aerospace manufacturing program.
