OPG supporting future of skilled trades with new Durham College training facility
OPG is helping to support the next generation of Ontario’s skilled trades with the opening of a new facility at Durham College.
In April, the college’s Whitby campus unveiled the Ontario Power Generation Centre for Skilled Trades and Technology, a 60,000-square-foot facility home to numerous specialized labs and shops.
The new centre will increase Durham College’s industrial skilled trades training capacity by 750 students to help meet skilled labour shortages across Ontario and Canada. A range of post-secondary and apprenticeship programs will be hosted here, including electrical engineering technician, mechanical technician – elevating devices, and mechanical techniques – plumbing.
Currently, there is a huge demand for skilled trades in the electricity industry, driven by OPG’s ongoing Darlington Refurbishment project and other refurbishment projects underway. And by 2030, Colleges Ontario forecasts the province will face a shortage of more than 500,000 skilled trades workers.
“Now more than ever, we need skilled, talented and qualified graduates to support our current and future operational and project needs.”Subo Sinnathamby, Senior Vice President, Nuclear Refurbishment
“This state-of-the-art facility is just the latest in OPG’s decades-long partnership with Durham College,” said Subo Sinnathamby, Senior Vice President, Nuclear Refurbishment, at OPG. “This partnership helps educate and train career-ready graduates to build a diverse population of potential employees for the energy sector in skilled trades and STEM. Now more than ever, we need skilled, talented and qualified graduates to support our current and future operational and project needs.”
The grand opening event on April 21 featured tours of the new facility, an official ribbon cutting, and an Indigenous blessing given by Senator Cecile Wagar from the Oshawa and Durham Métis Council.
“This incredible new facility will help bring student success to life, creating opportunities to advance innovation and knowledge and providing a career launchpad for the next generation of skilled tradespeople,” said Don Lovisa, President of Durham College. “The generosity and support from our community is an investment in our collective success and our students’ futures.”
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