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Source: Georgian College

The Ontario Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development estimates that one in five job openings will be in the skilled trades by 2028.¹ But the need for skilled tradespeople is growing even faster in some parts of the province.

One such region is Simcoe County, home to Georgian College. The college recently announced a major expansion to its Centre for Skilled Trades at its Barrie campus. The goal: help the region grow the highly skilled workforce needed for a strong and sustainable future.

The Centre for Skilled Trades expansion received support from the County of Simcoe, which committed $1.5 million in funding to the project as part of its economic development strategy. The County aims to grow and support the skilled trades to meet the needs of the regional workforce.

Creating an Enhanced Trades Training Space

Through the project, Georgian plans to modernize the Centre’s existing building and add 20,000 square feet. When complete, the state-of-the-art facility will enable the college to train over 1,000 students in future-ready skills like robotics and artificial intelligence.

The largest immersive learning space coming to the expanded facility is a machining lab equipped with advanced manufacturing technologies. Georgian has received a generous $1 million grant from the Gene Haas Foundation – an organization that supports manufacturing training – which will increase the college’s capacity to prepare students for manufacturing careers.

Some of the other new training spaces coming to the expanded Centre for Skilled Trades include:

• A new heating, refrigeration, and air conditioning (HRAC) lab
• A renovated carpentry lab
• A second and third-floor addition with collaborative spaces

Explore Georgian’s Skilled Trades Programs

Kevin Weaver, Georgian College President and CEO, says the expansion demonstrates Georgian’s historical commitment to preparing students for careers in the trades.

“For almost 60 years, Georgian has been an experienced and trusted workforce development partner,” Weaver said. “We know how important the skilled trades are to a variety of sectors in our region.”

Weaver added: “The skilled trades are one of our areas of strength and to continue being responsive to industry needs and to offer our students an unrivalled skilled trades learning environment, we need to modernize our centre to meet the challenges of Industry 4.0.”

Georgian offers a variety of skilled trades programs and apprenticeships across its Barrie, Midland, Muskoka, and Owen Sound campuses. You can visit their Skilled Trades page to explore available opportunities to pursue an in-demand career in one of Ontario’s exciting trades industries.

Want to learn more about the Centre for Skilled Trades expansion? Visit Georgian’s website to see how they’re building the future of skilled trades in the Simcoe region.