Four previous Pathfinder participants and two Mohawk College staff members presented at the World Indigenous People Conference on Education (WIPCE) in Adelaide, Australia in September. 

The group shared about the innovative program and their own personal experiences. 

Pathfinder is a three-week land-based program at Mohawk College’s campus that marked its 12th year this summer. It encourages Indigenous students to learn about and become engaged in post-secondary education while at the same time learning about their Indigenous heritage through learning from local elders, knowledge keepers, and facilitators. 

WIPCE draws Indigenous education experts, practitioners, scholars, and students from across the globe to share successes and strategies for culturally grounded education. It’s the largest and most diverse Indigenous education forum in the world. 

“The cool thing is that we have seen there are a lot more organizations and schools doing this kind of program globally than we would have thought,” says Amanda White, Manager of Indigenous Student Services. 

The Mohawk contingent was supposed to travel to the conference in 2020, but COVID delayed that. When they finally got to go two years later, it took two days longer to get to Adelaide than scheduled when three plane rides became six. 

Despite the delays and the exhausting time zone changes, it was all worth it to be there, says the group. 

“It’s incredible to see the different cultures,” said Amanda Aitchison, an Indigenous awareness programmer at Mohawk. “On the first day, there was a parade of nations and they all shared a song or their language. That was empowering to hear these languages because so much of that has been lost.” 

The group also took an excursion that featured boomerang throwing, wood carving and cooking. 

The conference was nothing but positive energy, says Ashley Hogan, who participated in the Pathfinder program beginning in Grade 9. It enabled her to learn about her Indigenous culture and grow in confidence. 

“It definitely helped me to spread my wings in numerous ways,” she says. “It’s a very supportive community. You are able to be yourself without any judgement.” 

A trip to British Columbia with the program introduced her to the concept of neuroscience. Hogan, 20, completed a Pre-Health program at Mohawk College before enrolling in human behaviour at McMaster University. 

Caroline Hill took part in Pathfinder in one of the first cohorts and attended four more times. Now 26, she is a graduate of Mohawk’s Recreation Therapy program and then earned a graduate certificate in Mental Health and Disability Management. Hill now works in a long-term care home and serves as a mentor for younger Pathfinder participants. 

“It’s a rewarding thing to help younger students find their own footing.” 

She says she would have never found her way to post-secondary studies without the Pathfinder program. 

“It made me enjoy learning in all its forms, like classrooms, listening to elders, doing hands-on things. I really can’t believe this program that I didn’t really want to go to has led to all of this.” 

Jason Seth and Chris Smoke all took part in the trip as Pathfinder participants, who each earned a credit in Global Experiences. The travel was supported by a program donor. 
 

This story originally appeared in Momentum Magazine. 

Through innovations in teaching and learning and a priority placed on learner choice, Mohawk College is changing the landscape of its program offerings. 

Learners have individual needs, depending on their educational and employment background and goals. A range of credentials, from micro-credentials, continuing and professional education courses, certificates and programs, to more traditional post-secondary diplomas, advanced diplomas, degrees and post-graduate certificates, provides options to suit any learner. 

Today, the life cycle of learning is broad and continuous. Mohawk’s new Digital Learning Strategy and its growing delivery options will ensure the college meets all types of learners where they are, says Janet Shuh, Dean of Continuing Education and Academic Development. 

“Whether it’s a student coming directly from high school into a diploma or degree program or a mid-career professional seeking upskilling, reskilling or co-skilling through a short-cycle micro-credential, we offer an agile, flexible and comprehensive credential landscape across the life cycle of learning.” 

Optimal flexibility 

Mohawk recognizes that learners have demanding schedules and different learning styles. Some prefer the experience of in-person learning, while others want or require fully online curriculum delivery. Still others prefer a hybrid approach. 

A new HyFlex academic delivery modality provides choice of how a learner wants to learn and where. Mohawk has equipped its first three classrooms to offer all three modalities in a course or program at once: face to face (on campus), synchronous (live real-time) online, and asynchronous (at the learner’s own pace) online. 

A learner can choose one modality throughout the credential’s duration or choose different ones each day or week to suit their work and personal schedules. 

“This requires more equipped classrooms and some training for faculty in moderating delivery in this way. Faculty may also need to re-think how hands-on activities and assessments are administered in a HyFlex environment.” 

HyFlex uses classroom technology, such as Zoom rooms, tracking cameras, high quality speakers, and large monitors to facilitate interaction between faculty, students learning virtually, and those face-to-face in the classroom. 
 

This delivery modality also leverages the college’s robust Learning Management System (LMS) to provide an asynchronous (at their own time) learning experience for students who prefer or need to learn outside of scheduled class times. 

About six Mohawk programs—including Civil Engineering Technology – Transportation and Urban and Regional Planning – Geographic Information Systems (GIS)—are delivered in high-flex mode, says Shuh, but that will grow.

This innovative teaching approach enables out-of-region and out-of-province students to enroll in programs that have traditionally been in-person. That is proving to be popular.

With minimal promotion, Urban and Regional Planning – Geographic Information Systems (GIS) has already attracted 24 registrants in the new online intake for the current fall 2022 semester, in addition to the 27 students in the traditional in-person intake.

Many of these students were from areas far outside of Mohawk College’s geographic catchment. 

Micro-credentials: short-burst learning 

A growing field of learning is micro-credentials that deliver learning in shorter durations than traditional post-secondary programs, often in less than 12 weeks. The college works with industry partners to identify, develop and implement micro-credentials that meet employer needs. 

“They are short-burst, targeted learning programs to meet specific training and skills needs. They are delivered in flexible delivery modes to suit the needs of our learners.” 

They are often delivered online, but may involve experiential on-campus learning components. Many are developed asynchronously (no live classes) so learners can learn when and how they want. 

Some micro-credentials are one-off, while others are designed in “stacks” that combine into a larger credential and digital badges that can be added to a 
LinkedIn profile or curriculum vitae. For the stacked micro-credentials, students are awarded a “milestone” badge to show stacked program completion. 

Mohawk College offers stacked credentials that have been built by industry, including IBM, as well as those that have been designed, developed and delivered directly by the college in human services, technology, manufacturing, business and other areas of specialization. 

“The engagement of industry ensures micro-credentials deliver highly targeted and relevant skills training that meet the emerging and future needs of the workforce,” says Shuh. 

A great example is a new 3D Visualization for the Built Environment micro-credential that develops skills in building information modeling (BIM), 3D rendering tools, GIS and CAD techniques, digital twins and virtual reality/3D printing applications for design, presentation, construction and ongoing operations and maintenance of buildings and spaces. 

“Our industry partner worked closely with us to identify key competencies needed in the building field and to develop the curriculum needed to support those in-demand skills in construction and trades, city planning, facilities management and architecture,” says Shuh. 

“If a picture is worth a thousand words, 3D models and VR/AR is the next step in the architectural, engineering and construction industry,” says Tage Crooks, lead developer of the micro-credential and a zoning examiner with the City of Mississauga. 

“Interest groups, politicians, residents and other stakeholders do not want to read page after page of policy on a particular development - they want to know how that development will impact their lives through the visualization of the project. Mohawk’s new micro-credential in 3D visualization is a game-changer in teaching industry professionals how to create stunning 3D models to convey design intent for their projects in the real world,” says Crooks, who is a part-time professor with the Urban and Regional Planning Technician – GIS program and one of the expert facilitators for the new micro-credential. 

Strategic digital direction 

On the other end of the spectrum, Mohawk College offers two standalone degrees in Digital Health and Business Administration (Trades Management). A Bachelor of Analytics and Data Management (Honours) will launch in fall 2023. 

The college intends to develop more career-ready degrees over the coming years, says Shuh. 

All program development will be guided by a new Digital Learning Strategy that accounts for all the shifts and pivots that came out of the pandemic. 
“We know that the needs and wants of students have changed. While some students still want the traditional on campus learning experience, others have a desire for more flexible learning options,” says Shuh. 

This story originally appeared in Momentum Magazine.

The team behind a technology start-up developing a plant monitor for home gardeners says Mohawk College’s Additive Manufacturing Innovation Centre (AMIC) helped them get to the next stage of their concept. 

EarthOne, launched by a group of Mohawk College and McMaster University graduates, brings together sensors that measure light, humidity, soil moisture, temperature and soil acidity into a dashboard in a wireless monitor, along with software that identifies plants and determines what they need to thrive in each category. 

“Our motto is science-based plant care,” says co-founder and CEO Sid Pereira. The idea is to make living sustainability more achievable. 

“There are many passionate home growers and this is a new generation of tool for them,” says Daniel Hacikyan, EarthOne’s head of operations. Both graduated from the joint B. Tech program of Mohawk and McMaster in 2019. 

The platform, which is set to optimize foliage, flowering and yield, can even forecast the harvest date of produce plants. 

When the team was challenged by mentors and investors to develop a functional prototype, they explored their options. 

After getting a quote for $200,000 for design services, a mentor at Innovation Factory suggested they look at AMIC at Mohawk College. A collaboration launched in January. EarthOne contributed $7,500 and in return got a design that was about 70 per cent complete, says Pereira. 

“It was phenomenal for us. I have nothing but good things to say. We learned how to design a printed circuit board alongside them and we were able to take the design from 70 per cent to 100 per cent ourselves.” 

AMIC also brought its expertise in advanced manufacturing to the design of sensors and a durable monitor case. 

EarthOne is now validating its product and platform with about 60 gardening enthusiasts. 

The project is supported in part by funding from the FedDev Ontario-supported Southern Ontario Network for Advanced Manufacturing Innovation (SONAMI), a consortium of innovative Ontario colleges and universities that includes Mohawk College.   

This story originally appeared in Momentum Magazine.

 Three years ago, steel producer ArcelorMittal Dofasco approached Mohawk College with a desire to automate a manual raking process to remove slag from molten steel in its ladle metallurgy facility. 

“They wanted to get into the area of the new Industrial Internet of Things and to optimize a process through innovation,” says Dr. Esteve Hassan, director of the IOT Lab and Industrial Applied Research Chair in Interoperability Sensor Systems for IIoT Applications. 

That innovation involves machine visioning sensors that collect images and data and advanced image processing that drives a robotics platform. 

“It’s a highly variable environment of high temperatures and debris and smoke that makes the deployment of this technology challenging.” 

The project – believed to be the world’s first digitization at a ladle metallurgy facility – received a $300,000 Applied Research and Development Grant from the National Sciences and Research Council of Canada, as well as support from ArcelorMittal Dofasco and Next Generation Manufacturing Canada (NGEN), the advanced manufacturing supercluster. 

The IOT Lab is a centre of expertise, working with industrial partners to develops, validates and tests hardware and software solutions that enable companies to adopt leading-edge technology to improve efficiency, safety and quality. 

The IOT Lab works with industrial partners in a range of sectors, including transportation and automotive, energy and smart cities, advanced manufacturing, healthcare and wearable devices. 

“The pace of work in the lab is strong, whether it’s product development, process improvement or training. Whatever the project, students take centre stage.” 

After a delay due to the pandemic, the two-year ArcelorMittal Dofasco project, which involved five students and three staff leads, is now close to its finish. 

“It has been an excellent project with great support from the industry supercluster NGEN and from ArcelorMittal Dofasco. Our students and faculty did excellent work,” says Hassan. 

“Students were hired to complete challenging tasks. There has been a lot of very advanced self-learning involved. They met all expectations and beyond.” 

A project with Hamilton’s other steel company Stelco is now underway. 

Rob Glista, who is in his final year of Electrical Engineering Technology, worked on the automation side of the ArcelorMittal Dofasco project and says the experience has been extremely positive. 

“Because it’s been based in an educational institution, we have been able to do more discovery than what we would be able to do in employment. We approached this with many different solutions and explored each of them. I’m motivated by that.” 

Hanna Stewart, who graduated from Computer Engineering Technology in May, worked on machine visioning and imaging on the project. 

“Our job was to develop a method of gathering information using specialized cameras. It’s a difficult environment in which to get accurate measurements. There is smoke and heat and fumes that can be corrosive, so typical instruments get worn out quickly in that type of environment. We had to find a way to mount infra-red cameras to get a good view but far enough away from those hazards.” 

That involved talking to vendors, testing equipment and working with IT at the College and at ArcelorMittal Dofasco. 

Stewart, who now works in Mohawk’s MEDIC digital health lab, says the experience of this project was a “really valuable part of my education at Mohawk College. I got exposure to things you just can’t replicate in a classroom. And I learned that machine visioning is an area of interest for me, especially in health care.”  

This story originally appeared in Momentum Magazine.

A new Bachelor of Analytics and Data Management (Honours) is the latest iteration of Mohawk College’s well-established expertise in data analytics

Offered within the McKeil School of Business, the four-year degree will launch in September 2023. It will be the second standalone degree offered by the college

The degree complements and builds on the track record Mohawk has established in its graduate certificate in Analytics for Business Decision Making. Mohawk also runs the HEAD Competition (Higher Education Analytics Data) for colleges and universities

Combining general business fundamentals, programming, analytics, mathematics and statistics with storytelling, the new degree will educate a new generation of data experts

“You can have all kinds of data scientists who can crunch numbers but what has been missing is the ability to communicate that analysis to key decision-makers, customers and clients,” says Dr. Steven Way, Professor and Coordinator of the Analytics and Data Management Degree

“This is evidence-based decision-making for business,” says Andrew McTear, Associate Dean of the McKeil School of Business and the School of Creative Industries, Liberal Studies & Communication. “If you have someone who can organize and analyze the data and use it to tell a clear story, you help organizations focus on problem solutions or areas of opportunity and that really is the future of business.

The new degree program will feature online and face-to-face classes, 420 hours of work-integrated learning experiences, small class sizes compared to typical university programs and faculty who work in the industry, says McTear

Between September 2021 and August 2022, research prepared by Workforce Planning Hamilton and the City of Hamilton’s Economic Development Office indicates there were more than 3,100 job postings in Hamilton, Halton, Niagara, Haldimand-Norfolk, and Brant in the data analytics field. The majority of postings were found in six major occupation groups: finance and insurance; professional, scientific and technical services; manufacturing; educational services; public administration; and health care and social assistance

“I get asked all the time: Where will students find work?” says McTear. “The short answer is everywhere. The financial sector was a pioneer of using data analysis for areas like fraud detection. Manufacturing uses data to increase production output and cut costs. Supply chain optimizes shipping routes. Even streaming services like Netflix uses artificial intelligence to show you want you want to watch. The opportunities are literally everywhere.”
 

This story originally appeared in Momentum Magazine. 

Mohawk College’s new Game – Design advanced diploma launching in September 2023 will break down barriers with the idea that a more diverse industry will be a better place to work and will produce content that better reflects society. 

The three-year advanced diploma program will cover multiple aspects of the industry – design, technical and artistic skills, along with ethics and psychology. 

“The program will model rather than mirror the gaming industry,” says Dr. Angela Stukator, who joined Mohawk as a special advisory in June and has joined a team of female academics driving the development of this program. 

“We don’t want to do just more of the same. This is a model of game design and the gaming workforce that takes a leadership role from the get-go.” 

Ethics and equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) will underscore all aspects of the program, including recruiting of students and faculty, the substance of the courses and how the program is marketed. Students will study games created by women and racialized groups. 

“EDI is the elephant in the room. The fact is that the industry is dominated by mostly white men. But it just takes a commitment to reflecting diversity because gaming doesn’t have to be that way. Games don’t have to reinforce misogynistic or racist views of the world. They can confront them.” 

Violent shooting games are only a small part of the industry, says Dr. Lisa Funnell, Associate Dean of Creative Industries. The program will cover board games, too, and the gamification of things like education, social and political activities, consumer interfaces and training. 

The game design program will draw on other Mohawk programs, including virtual reality, animation, music, and graphic design. 

“Video games and games in general are played by every kind of person in the world so it’s important to create content that is as open and inclusive. It also just makes business sense,” says Funnell. 

The gaming market is large and growing rapidly. A recent analysis found the digital gaming market is projected to grow to $160 billion by the end of 2026, up from $104 billion estimated for the end of this year. 

To compare, the global movie industry is pegged at about $77 billion. 

As the gaming culture has shifted from the fringe entirely into the mainstream, now is the time to fully address what holds the industry back, Funnell says. Embedding EDI with intentionality from the outset will make this program one of a kind. 

“There is great responsibility in being a creator. The conversations we are having in game design will be happening across the range of our creative programs.” 

Funnell, whose academic background is in EDI and representation in film, says in addition to examining gaming content through a diversity lens, students will learn to work on teams with people of different cultures, races and belief systems. 

“Students will develop that global competency. It’s in those spaces of diversity and equity that the greatest creativity emerges.” 

The game industry should be as varied as the people who play, says Cathy Feraday Miller, co-founder and art director at Rocket 5 Studios, a micro game studio in Toronto. 

“The greater the diversity of game makers, the more games will reflect our actual human experience, and the better the games will be,” she says. 

“Mohawk College’s Game- Design program map is excellent. There is a strong focus on ethical game design practices and critical thinking. There are some very exciting leaders in current game design theory involved.” 

And the College has a strong connection to industry leaders, including at Ubisoft, Hamilton’s animation studio Pipeline and to small indie developers. 

Hamilton is perfectly poised for a game design program, says Stukator. 

“The city is emerging as a cultural and technology hub. This program will feed that. Small and medium companies are the pulse of the industry.” 
 

This story originally appeared in Momentum Magazine.

The Centre for Aviation Technology at Hamilton International Airport (YHM) has already established a reputation for excellence in its facilities, equipment and faculty knowledge less than two years after its opening. 

Built in conjunction with KF Aerospace’s expansion of its Hamilton maintenance, repair and operations, the state-of-the-art facility is home for Mohawk College's Aviation Technician programs in maintenance, structures and avionics and has airside access at one of the country’s most active airports. 

The new centre, which has airside access at one of the country’s most active airports, has allowed the College to double enrolment in its aviation program to 350 students. 
All three streams of Mohawk College’s Aviation program are in growth mode. 

“We have grown to be the fifth-largest aviation school in the country and we have our eye on going higher,” says George Miltenburg, Associate Dean, School of Engineering Technology and Aviation. 

The 75,000-square-foot complex, which opened in February 2021, is a critical piece of that ambition. It features modern labs, shops, classrooms, and a large hangar space where students work on nearly 20 aircraft. 

“It is a fantastic, purpose-built facility that offers airside access at the airport. It allows us to give our students more hands-on time in the labs and in the hangar working on real aircraft. Our students will emerge even more prepared for the workforce and the word is already out among employers. Our graduates will be more highly sought after than ever before.” 

The program has a range of aircraft that have been donated by industry partners, including a fully operational Boeing 727-200, an Ornge Sikorski helicopter, and a Falcon corporate jet. 

The three streams have a shared core first year, which means graduates of one stream can finish another in a year. They each combine theory and hands-on practice using cutting-edge training equipment and aircraft. 

Students get between 12 and 18 months credit toward their practical work experience required for licence certification through Transport Canada. 

Being located right at the airport offers an unparalleled real-world experience to students and offers ready access to the aviation program’s 30 faculty. 

“Many of our part-time instructors are working at maintenance, repair and overhaul companies right at the airport. They walk over to teach,” says Miltenburg. “They come from all over the world and are experienced on all types of aircraft.” 

Mohawk is the only school in Canada with the Boeing 737 NG virtual maintenance trainer and is the only college in North America with more than a few software seats. Mohawk has 11 seats of the expensive software that is used by Boeing itself to train and type certify its technicians to work on the world’s most common aircraft. 

“It has been an incredible windfall for the program that is paying dividends for our maintenance and avionics students,” says Miltenburg. 

Mohawk maintenance and avionics students graduate with 100 hours of training on the virtual trainer. Faculty set up a “snag” scenario that students have to investigate and solve. 
“They have to logically move through all the aircraft systems and understanding the FIM (fault isolation manuals) to find the cause and address it,” says Shawn Hoyle, an aviation professor and the person responsible for training through Transport Canada. 

“That teaches them the methodology and they are evaluated on that. The more you do it, the better you get at it. Unlike other programs, our students develop very strong troubleshooting skills.” 

In the avionics stream, students work on a glass cockpit conversion in which they replace a late 1980s cockpit on a donated King Air aircraft with modern Garmin flat screens. Students handle everything, from electrical drawings to vendor selection to project management. 

“We couldn’t do this without the support of industry partners who donate equipment but also ensure we are teaching the very latest in skills,” says Miltenburg. 

Mohawk College aviation graduates are snapped up by employers across Canada and around the world in an industry facing huge talent shortages. 

For instance, KF Aerospace – Canada’s largest MRO operator – offered jobs to every Structures graduate earlier this year. 

“Industry is knocking down our door and visiting our classrooms to talk to our students. That includes the Canadian Armed Forces, which is offering incentive packages. Some companies are offering $10,000 signing bonuses,” says Hoyle. 

Mohawk is targeting growth for its aviation through both domestic and international enrolment. 

“The Canadian licence is well-recognized around the world, so that is very helpful to us. Students can very easily return home or go elsewhere in the world to find work.” 

For more than 60 years, Halifax-based IMP Aerospace and Defence has offered maintenance, modification and repair services to military, government and commercial operators. 

IMP, which also operates in Newfoundland, Nova Scotia and British Columbia, delivers major modification and maintenance programs for Canadian military planes and helicopters and for the U.S. Marine Corps. It also takes care of the Snowbirds’ CT 114 Tutor aircraft. 

The landing of new contracts means the company is in a recruiting drive, says Neil Harding, Director of Aircraft Production and IMP’s person responsible for maintenance through Transport Canada. 

“We have a huge need for talent right now. As we bid on modification programs, we continue to need new people.” 

He has visited the Mohawk Centre for Aviation Technology to meet with students. He says the sector offers exciting, well-paying jobs and the opportunity to earn extra qualifications that lead to higher salaries. 

The company employs about 1,000 people. Its staffing in Halifax will grow by about 20 per cent over the next year. 

Harding says he began in the industry as an avionics technician 16 years ago. He now leads a team of 250 technicians working on multiple maintenance programs. 

“It has been a great career path for me. We offer many opportunities for anyone who wants to learn and grow. No one is limited to turning tools.” 

Harding says IMP is excited about its growing partnership with Mohawk. 

“The College is very open to feedback and working with us to meet our needs. The new facility is really, really impressive. I have visited many different schools and Mohawk’s facility is second to none.” 

Denis Ranque completed the Aircraft Maintenance program in 2018 and has now returned to Mohawk for a year to complete the Avionics program. 

He has been employed by Lake Central Air Services in Gravenhurst, which specializes in repairs, maintenance and modifications to survey aircraft. Ranque, who has his commercial pilot’s licence, wants to broaden his skill set to allow him to work on electronics systems. 

He came to Canada from his home in Bolivia in order to follow his passion for aviation at Mohawk. He says he’s driven by the processes and procedures that ensure safety of aircraft. 

“I felt very well-prepared by my time at Mohawk. The faculty is so up to date in the industry and they always go above and beyond for their students. They’re really there for us.” 

He says he was awed by the new facility when he returned in September. 

“I feel so fortunate to learn in such an environment. It is state-of-the-art.” 
 

This story originally appeared in Momentum Magazine. 

Targeted, rapid on-demand training for health care workers through Mohawk College’s new Centre for Professional Advancement (CPA) is helping hospitals locally, provincially and nationally cope with ongoing staff shortages and care backlogs amid pandemic recovery. 

The CPA is the formalized structure that has resulted from dozens of training partnerships with health organizations over the last several years. 

Project by project since the COVID-19 crisis began, the CPA within the School of Health and Community Services has worked to close skills gaps and increase capacity in the workforce through a new model of on-the-job training that prioritizes innovative, responsive, accelerated and specialized instruction to address fast-emerging and future employer needs. 

“This came out of a desire to respond to an acute situation in our community. We needed solutions and this was an innovative way to help solve problems,” says Wendy Lawson, Dean of the School of Health and Community Services. 

“We recognized that there are challenges facing our community in health care that cannot be ignored. This was catalyzed by the pandemic but not caused by it. The crisis forced everyone to be innovative.” 

The CPA provides flexible, high-quality learning solutions online, in-person, or using a blended approach with a mix of self-study and facilitated instruction. In collaboration with employer partners, Mohawk’s team of curriculum developers and subject matter experts develop and deliver customized training solutions designed to address specific competencies and desired learning outcomes. 

Mohawk College faculty then support the delivery of clinical training by clinical educators and mentors at the learner’s home site. 

“What makes this approach transformative is that it is a real partnership with the hospitals and clinical employers to create something specifically for them that answers their needs,” says Associate Dean Nicole Barron. 

Training has been delivered to cohorts as small as five and as large as 138. The team at the CPA continues to work with partners and governments to identify labour gaps that can be addressed through laddered training, extended roles, skills specializations and bridging. 

“This is a sustainable and scalable model of training that contributes to a highly skilled and agile workforce. Our partners are committed to this and the successes of this approach are clear,” says Lawson. 

“The need has been most acute in health care, but this model can be applied in any sector with human resources challenges. Mohawk College and its executive team has been universally supportive of this vision.” 

The model is now gaining attention from health care providers across Canada. 

“It helps employers create a culture of learning and career progression,” says Barron. 

Training can be delivered in a full-time or part-time model. In some cases, learners get a leave and are paid to take the training. 

“That really removes the barriers to ongoing training for many employees. The earn-while-you-learn model is a best practice that we recommend to our partners.” 

The partnership with the CPA has helped HHS take a logical approach to filling areas of need, says Leslie Gauthier, Vice President of Clinical Support Services and Surgery. 

“In the case of MRI technicians, a radiology tech has had to take a year off work to get the training that will give them an extra couple of dollars an hour. It didn’t make sense.” 

Ten HHS employees took the MRI training – paid for by the hospital – that finished in late spring. 

Gauthier says there are needs in many areas, including anaesthesia assistant and pharmacy technician, that can be addressed through the approach at the CPA. 

“We are learning as we go and correcting course where we need to but this is a great partnership that will help us address our needs.” 
The strengths of the approach are that Mohawk can work with a partner anywhere at any time, can offer the accelerated training to multiple organizations at once, and it addresses both immediate needs and long-term human resources planning. 

The Operating Room Assistant (ORA) clinical training was delivered simultaneously in five labs over two Saturdays to staff from six different hospitals. It is a common role in the United States but it is a pilot in Ontario. 

OR Assistants are not intended to replace RNs or RPNs during surgery but by playing a supporting role and acting as an additional resource in the OR, including setting up the operating room for the patient, ensuring all the tools are sterile and in place and handing tools to the doctor during the surgery, they are able to increase the capacity of the RNs to do the highly skilled and regulated nursing work. 

Kate Cook and Dulce Isorena from the Greater Niagara General Hospital were among the ORA trainees. Both worked in the hospital’s medical device processing department that handles sterilization of instruments used in the OR. 

They each jumped at the chance to add to their skills and take on a new challenge. It was an intense, exhausting experience. 

Over 10 weeks, they took nine courses and had to achieve a minimum of 80 per cent in order to get the ORA job. They studied 14 to 16 hours a day at least six days a week and they still study each surgery the night before. But it’s worth it. 

“It was exhilarating to be in the OR for the first time,” says Cook. 

“I really love doing this,” says Isorena, even though she worried she couldn’t stomach being in a surgery. “Instead, I was intrigued and curious.” 

OR manager Jen Law says 50 per cent of the OR staff at Niagara Health’s three sites are eligible for retirement within the next five years. 

CPA training won’t fill the gap on its own but it will allow more flexibility in handling human resources challenges. 

“This is such a great collaboration between Mohawk, HHS and us. Everyone is committed to facing down the challenges and doing what is needed and doing it quickly.” 

The pandemic deepened an existing talent crisis in health care, says Jen Plant, Director, Professional Practice and Ambulatory Care at Queensway Carleton Hospital in Ottawa. Critical care nursing has been particularly hard hit. 

Mohawk’s accelerated critical care nursing program is designed for RNs looking to prepare for a career in a critical care setting or those currently employed in a critical care setting who wish to improve their knowledge and skills. This 300-hour program aligns with specifications of the Critical Care Services Ontario and will also prepare nurses to challenge the Canadian Nurses Association national certification exam in critical care. 

“Queenston Carleton Hospital has worked in partnership with Mohawk College to leverage the flexible, hybrid model to combine didactic learning with clinical mentorship to provide a wonderful foundation to nurses working as part of a skilled critical care team. The innovative design of this program integrates the online course and clinical experience through self-directed, asynchronous virtual learning, allowing students to integrate new knowledge into their practice on an ongoing basis.” 

The hospital has a seven-point plan to stabilize its workforce through recruitment and retention, says Plant. 

“Increasing opportunities for mentorship and professional development is key to our strategy. The accelerate critical care program will provide learners with the advanced knowledge, specialized skills and abilities to practice competently and safely within a fantastic team.”  

This story originally appeared in Momentum Magazine.

When the leaders at Branthaven Homes decided about a year ago they had to confront their labour shortage challenge head on, they turned to Mohawk College. 

The construction industry pays well and offers great career advancement opportunities, says Andrea Peckart, Vice President of Homeowner Relations. 

But it’s a day-to-day struggle to get workers on sites. Subtrades are dealing with their own staffing challenges and it’s not uncommon to hire a labourer who only shows up for a couple of days. 

The industry faces waves of retirement at a time when not enough young people are choosing trades, making this partnership critical in the short term and long term, says Peckart. 

The strategic collaboration with the Burlington-based homebuilder has multiple components, beginning with a survey of needs and challenges within the industry and then a workshop to explore potential solutions for recruitment and retention. 

Now an action plan is being formulated to connect and engage with future and prospective employees through open houses and job fairs and for a full review of all construction curriculum at the college. 

“We’ve been impressed with how engaged and receptive Mohawk is to working with us on workforce development and to making sure they are teaching what students need right now in the industry,” says Peckart, who is daughter of Branthaven founders Al and Judy Stipsits. 

“Branthaven knows the entire sector needs support and they are willing to be a leader in finding solutions alongside Mohawk College,” says Samara Young, Associate Dean of Building Systems and Sustainability. That portfolio covers 17 programs at the Marshall School of Skilled Trades and Apprenticeship in Stoney Creek. 

“We are being responsive to the sector by taking a bigger, broader look at customized partnerships. We can do so much more when we work together.” 

A priority is to break negative perceptions of trades among educators, guidance counsellors and parents. 

“We have to change the stigma. Skilled trades shouldn’t be a fallback position but rather a goal,” says Sean Wadsworth, Branthaven’s Vice President of Homebuilder Operations. 

It’s critical to attract women. 

“Fifty per cent of the population aren’t really in the trades. Bringing the proportion of women up to the proportion of men in the industry would solve this problem in a broad stroke. Of course, that’s going to take time.” 

About half of the managers at Branthaven are women and the company is focused on spreading the message that construction is a welcoming place for women at all levels, says Peckart. 

Young says employers need support to adjust their recruitment and hiring operations to attract women, newcomers, international students and other equity-deserving groups. 

“Employers want to learn about equity, diversity and inclusion. They understand they are part of the solution. We can help them drill down to the students’ perspective, ask the tough questions and look clearly at the barriers that are in place. That is where we will get results.” 

Branthaven has already been working with City School by Mohawk on short-term training for those from underserved and marginalized groups to put them on a path to post-secondary education, apprenticeship or meaningful employment. 

Deepening relationships between employers and the College improves hiring outcomes and the Branthaven-Mohawk partnership will serve as a model for other employers facing talent shortages, says Young. 
“When employers come to our campus, spend time in our shops, talk to our faculty and spend time with students, that connection is invaluable.” 

At 51 years in business, Branthaven employs about 110 people and is building single-family homes, townhouses, condos and apartments from Markham to Niagara Falls to Cambridge. When subtrades are taken into account, Branthaven projects employ thousands, says Peckart. 

“We all need to work together to get the word out about jobs in the construction industry. It covers so many things, like sales, design, architecture, all the skilled trades on a job site. Construction is a big driver of jobs.” 
 

This story originally appeared in Momentum Magazine.

Part-time Mohawk College instructor Harb Singh is an in-demand TV director with a long demo reel in the business covering sports, game shows, lifestyle, live events and reality TV. 

Singh’s fall schedule includes three days shooting four episodes daily of Family Feud Canada and two days on a new show called Cross Country Cake Off that will air on CTV this winter. He’s recently finished the latest season of Canada’s Got Talent. 

“It’s really busy right now because of post- COVID and the time of year. But I love what I do. Yes, I work a lot but it’s not work to me. I love getting to the studio every day.” Singh has worked as a part-time professor at Mohawk for six years. He is an instructor teaching videography in the Creative Photography program. 

“I love my students. There are so many keeners and hard workers and they have great ideas.” 

He’s director for many productions including Family Feud Canada, Dragon’s Den, Canada’s Got Talent, Canada’s Ultimate Challenge, Cross Country Bake Off, Entertainment Tonight Canada, E-Talk, The Social, Wall of Chefs and CBC’s Olympics Games coverage in Pyeongchang, Tokyo and Beijing. 

“Olympics are exhausting and intense but such a great experience,” he says. “On live TV, you can’t make a mistake. Mistakes are evident. Preparation is so key. There is no re-doing it or editing it. But it’s a team effort and if you have a good crew—producers, camera operators and the tech team—you win as a team.” 

He says the director has to manage both the big picture but also the details, while managing a behind-the-scenes team of about 25 to 30 people on any given production. 

Singh says his success comes down to hard work, dedication, never giving up and always being eager to learn. 

His students soak up his real-world stories of the business. “I show them my shooting schedule and tell them that sometimes I only sleep a couple of hours between two productions. This is not a Monday to Friday, nine to five type of job. There are a lot of weekends and nights and you have to be ready for that,” he says. 

“But I’m lucky to have all these opportunities. I take it as a blessing every day.”  
 

This story originally appeared in Momentum Magazine.