DeWalt and Humber increase access to skilled trades training
By Adam Freill
Construction Labour Skills DevelopmentDeWalt Pathways to the Trades Scholarships will equip students with the skills and tools for their chosen career.
DeWalt is introducing Pathways to the Trades scholarships at Humber College.
(Photo courtesy of Stanley Black & Decker Canada)
DeWalt is investing in trades training at Ontario’s Humber College by establishing DeWalt Pathways to the Trades scholarships.
Two scholarships will be awarded annually, with additional funding available for emergency bursaries in the school’s Centre for Skilled Trades and Technology. The gift will also be used to supplement the centre’s tool collection and will go towards providing students who demonstrate need with the tools they require for their profession once they graduate.
“Thanks to the generosity of DeWalt, our students will be trained on the tools used on job sites and will also supplement their toolkits with the additional tools their careers require,” said Michael Auchincloss, associate dean of the school’s faculty of applied sciences and technology. “DeWalt’s investment in the Centre for Skilled Trades and Technology will help Humber train the next generation of skilled workers and continue to help fill the skilled trades gap.”
The gift will also be used for product awards, centre initiatives and student support including funding for pre-apprentice and pathways to the skilled trades programs. Those programs are tuition-free initiatives that aim to bring new individuals into the trades, regardless of experience or education.
“DeWalt is proud to be a partner of Humber College and its Centre for Skilled Trades and Technology, providing financial support for training and scholarships, tools and equipment,” said Allan Hawes, general manager of Stanley Black & Decker Canada. “We believe it is important to work with programs such as those offered by Humber to help ensure that Canada’s young tradespeople have the training and tools they need for their future success.”
Through the partnership, DeWalt will provide brand ambassadors to appear at Humber events and support Humber’s efforts and activities to recruit the next generation of skilled trades professionals and narrow the skills gap. With Humber, DeWalt are also committed to encouraging women and those from equity-deserving groups to consider the trades as a possible career.
DeWalt’s gift is part of Humber’s Unlimited Campaign, Humber’s first comprehensive fundraising campaign, which recently surpassed its original $50-million goal. The Unlimited Campaign is a college-wide fundraising effort to equip students with the wealth of skills and knowledge needed to succeed as leaders and innovators.
