From Left to Right: Tim Clement, Automotive Shop Technologist; Kristy Hurley, Program Manager; Bob Brown, Motive Power 2^nd Year Program Coordinator and Automotive Professor; Rebecca Isowa, Associate Dean, Electrical, Transportation and Innovation; Chris Pinard, Automotive Service Technician Program Coordinator and Automotive Professor; Bryan Ledgerwood, Manager, Early College Initiatives.

The Electric Vehicle and Smart  Mobility Lab will train next-generation automotive service  technicians and support research.

A  revolution is underway in the way we drive and Mohawk College is stepping up to ensure the workforce is in place to serve 
that future.

The federal government has mandated that all new vehicles sold by 2035 must be zero-emission. Meeting that target will require a massive shift in skills within the automotive industry. 

Mohawk College’s Electric Vehicle and Smart Mobility Lab is meant to directly tackle that challenge.

“The lab exists to provide education and training to automotive professionals that enables them to work on these new vehicles,” says Rebecca Isowa, Associate Dean – Electrical, Transportation & Innovation. 

The EV and Smart Mobility Lab is currently offering an Electric & Hybrid Vehicle Service micro-credential, which is an upskilling course that provides current licensed Automotive Service Technicians with the specialized skills required for the service, repair, and maintenance of electric and hybrid vehicles. This micro-credential is one of the first of its kind in the region, with funding from the Canadian Colleges for a Resilient Recovery (C2R2) in collaboration with BCIT. 

As of March 31, nearly 100 licensed automotive service technicians have completed the training and acquired the skills necessary to support the transition to a zero-emission future. 

The micro-credential covers high-voltage safety procedures, high-voltage vehicles, battery systems, motors, inverters and control systems, charging systems, hybrid and electric powertrains and HVAC systems specific to high-voltage vehicles.

“The face of automotive technology is constantly changing,” said Kristy Hurley, Program Manager at the Marshall School of Skilled Trades and Apprenticeship at Mohawk College. “It’s evolving rapidly now with the introduction of electric and hybrid vehicles, hydrogen technology and alternative fuels.” 

All the work underway on the electric vehicle (EV) front supports Mohawk College’s strategic commitment to make a measurable impact on 
climate change. 

“We are focused on greening the trades,” says Isowa. “That can only happen through the intersection of technology and the people who will work in the industry.”

Hurley says future micro-credentials are being created in hydrogen fuel cells, battery repair, EV diagnostics, wind turbine, and advanced driver assistance systems, among others. There are also plans for consumer-facing EV micro-credentials.

“That is alongside a comprehensive upgrade to the Automotive Service Technician curriculum to embed EV and hybrid technology into the education and training of postsecondary students and apprentices.” 

There are also enormous opportunities in rolling out EV training in Mohawk College’s Truck and Coach Technician program and plans are also underway for a space dedicated to applied research in battery 
research and repair. 

Electrification will impact all manner of mobility – vehicles, trains, boats, farm and construction equipment – but it also requires entirely new infrastructure to power it. 

“It will be nice to have a million EVs on the road, but how are we going to charge them and will the grid support them?” says Isowa. 

“We are also actively engaged in education and training for upskilling of tradespeople like electricians and others from the construction side. This is a monumental shift in the technology and the infrastructure needed to support it to make sure it’s successful. We are developing programs to lead to careers that don’t even exist yet.”

Significant infrastructure investment

Mohawk College has made a significant investment in its Electric Vehicle and Smart Mobility Lab, which includes vehicles, trainers, and specialized high-voltage EV tooling systems. 

“We have an enormous space for our lab,” says Chris Pinard, Program Coordinator and faculty member in the Automotive Service Technician program, and a developer of the Electric and Hybrid Vehicle Service micro-credential. 

“We have four working bays with hoists and  lots of extra space to park vehicles as well as fully functional charging infrastructure. We also have a dynamometer on which we can drive an electric vehicle in class and scope and watch in  real-time what’s going on in the inverters.” 

Automotive Professor Bob Brown, and students Paul Vandervelde and Patrick Bareuther analyze live data from a vehicle on the lab's dynamometer.

There is also an embedded classroom in the middle of this entire shop, along with a bay dedicated to advanced driver assistance systems that include sensors and cameras. 

“The technology is new, but in many ways electric vehicles are less complex than an internal combustion engine vehicle, which is a huge bonus, but they are far more dangerous to work on in terms of working on high voltage. Automotive technicians have always worked on electrical systems, but now they’re working with 400 volts instead of 12 volts, so the safety component is critical.” 

Wearing special electric safety gloves, Licensed Automotive Service Technicians Zach Vermeer, Matt Pazzi and Tate Morgan work on a an EV battery under the watchful eye of Automotive Professor Chris Pinard.

With a focus on safety, the Electric and Hybrid Vehicle Service micro-credential includes a six-hour module completed before coming to the lab for 30 hours of hands-on work. Pinard says discussions have begun around a second level EV micro-credential, which will focus on diagnostics, powertrain, and HVAC systems. 

There is some fear of the unknown among licensed automotive technicians when it comes to electric vehicles, says Cavan Cook, who worked with Pinard to co-develop the current micro-credential and helped with planning and implementation of the lab space.

That can easily be overcome with training, he says. “It’s no different than anything; as soon as you get comfortable with it, you realize there’s nothing magical when you open up the hood. It looks like a bunch of wizardry, but when you start to dissect it, piece by piece, it’s just a power here and a ground here. It’s no different than a 12-volt battery.”

Cook is the owner of Wired Auto Works in Smithville, a shop that handles EV diagnostics, repairs, and after-market module programming, along with traditional mechanical repairs.

“When it comes to EVs at our shop, it’s more just making customers know that these cars can be taken apart, and fixed, just like it was before.”

Licensed Automotive Service Technicians Matt Pazzi and Paul Vandervelde train on servicing an electric vehicle battery.

Ahead of the curve 

During this time of transition, there is also an aging of the existing workforce and a growing shortage of licensed automotive technicians.

Mohawk College is working to address that challenge with its Put Your Future in Motion program. The initiative, launched in spring 2023, is designed to introduce elementary and secondary school students to in-demand careers in automotive and smart mobility. 

The program was supported through funding from the provincial government through the Ontario Vehicle Innovation Network’s Regional Future Workforce Program.

Put Your Future in Motion, which connected with more than 1,000 students in its first nine months, included a summer camp for grades 7 to 9 students, and skills-building and awareness activities to help grades 5 to 12 students explore career opportunities in the automotive field.

The program also partnered with Techsploration, a Nova Scotia based not-for-profit that aims to connect young women and gender-diverse youth to opportunities to participate in life-changing career exploration programs that actively highlight employers committed to creating a more diverse, skilled workforce. A total of 70 grade 9 youth participated and were connected with role models and employers in the automotive skilled trades and technology industries for a week-long mentorship. 

“I think Mohawk College is ahead of the curve in electric vehicles,” says Mike Tipert, Service Manager at Queenston Chevrolet Buick GMC. He sits on the program advisory committee for the college’s Motive Power Technician program, which he also graduated from. 

Tipert supports all efforts to draw more people into the automotive field. He has hosted a Put Your Future in Motion event along with partner dealerships and his shop currently employs seven co-op students from both school boards, including three going into a Level 1 Ontario Youth Apprenticeship Program at Mohawk College.

Of the 13 technicians and five apprentices at Queenston Chevrolet Buick GMC, five are EV- certified and three more will be by June.

“Technicians have to be critical thinkers now. They have to be hands-on with computers. All the diagnostics are done through computers. It’s different than it used to be, there are still the mechanical repairs that have to happen, but EVs require a different breed of technician.”

The change is like nothing the industry has seen before, says Tipert. “Drastic changes are coming at us very quickly and that’s where the technical training is so critical.” 

The Mohawk College difference 

Mohawk College will be contributing to research in batteries, battery storage and alternative fuels such as hydrogen and clean-burning fossil fuels, because there is no one single, worldwide solution to the climate change crisis, says David Santi, Dean, Marshall School of Skilled Trades & Apprenticeship.

Ultimately, Santi wants graduates of Mohawk College to stand out by how they think about climate change and the environment, how they think about equity, diversity, and inclusion, and how they think about Indigenous knowledge and how it can be used in the context of climate and environment.

“I want a waiting list of people committed to this who want to get into our school. And it doesn’t matter if you’re in the health sciences area, engineering, skilled trades, business… everything you do here will be built around this because this is a huge societal problem that we have and it will take all of us to get together to face it.”

This story originally appeared in Momentum Magazine.

Mohawk College’s transformational Climate Action Plan sets a net-zero target for 2035, along with advancing sustainability within student learning and applied research.

A Climate Action Plan releasing this fall is Mohawk College’s transformational roadmap to fight climate change and prepare for a low-carbon economy on three fronts: direct operations, education and training, and applied research and partnerships.

The plan’s target is to achieve net-zero carbon in direct operations – buildings and fleet – by 2035. The plan also focuses on embedding sustainability and climate action into curriculum across the college’s programming, providing extracurricular opportunities and encouraging a sustainability mindset.

“We are training our students to lead and participate in the coming transition to the low-carbon economy,” says Allison Maxted, Manager of Sustainability.

A new comprehensive School of Sustainability and Climate Action will advance education and training elements that are foundational to the Climate Action Plan.

“What sets our Climate Action Plan apart is that it looks at climate action in a holistic way,” says Maxted. “The impact of an educational institution extends well beyond its operations. We are critical to the workforce development and applied research that will move us forward.”

Mohawk College has made it a strategic pillar to make a measurable impact on climate change, says Henry Colyn, Chief Building and Facilities Officer.

“The Climate Action Plan is a roadmap to a destination. We have set aggressive targets for our operations, including an 85 per cent reduction in Scope 1 and 2 greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 based on a 2007 baseline. To achieve that, we are making a significant investment in technology.”

That includes an additional electric boiler, along with conservation efforts and systemic changes to campus practices. Every future deferred maintenance and capital decision will be guided by the plan’s targets. The multilayered strategy will focus on electrification, conservation, storage and on-site generation.

“Our targets are ambitious but they are achievable. It will require a great deal of planning,” says Colyn.

The Climate Action Plan also sets out a proposal to grow the college’s research impact in the realm of climate solutions.

Mohawk College is working with more than 25 companies on complex and challenging decarbonization strategies, along with a number of municipal governments, start-ups and small clean-tech businesses, says Kate Flynn, General Manager of the Centre for Climate Change Management (CCCM).

“The whole plan is about the successes we’ve had and how we will dive into the next deeper level and lead in this space. The next phase is about expanding our advanced research and doing more things better.”

CCCM is the centre of this research, along with the Energy & Power Innovation Centre, the Sensor Systems and Internet of Things (IOT) Lab, and the work of Tony Cupido, who holds a research chair in sustainable building technologies.

“There are so many facets because climate change touches many aspects of our economy,” says Flynn. “We are engaging in more research across the college in interdisciplinary spaces.”

Each of the Climate Action Plan’s pillars has a sponsor from the College’s Senior Leadership Team. A college-wide Steering Group will oversee the implementation of the plan and provide knowledge and expertise to ensure commitments to sustainability and climate action are reflected in planning and decision-making.

Working groups will advance specific areas and the plan identifies guiding principles for incorporating Indigenous concepts of relationships and sustainability.

The Climate Action Plan builds on a longstanding legacy in sustainability. Mohawk College has had a comprehensive environmental management plan in place since 2011 – the first college in Ontario to do so – and has prioritized climate action within its overall strategic plan.

It has been named one of Canada’s greenest employers 10 years in a row and holds a STARS® Gold rating from AASHE (Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education) for sustainability achievements.

Mohawk College has also founded Canadian Colleges for a Resilient Recovery, a national coalition of 14 colleges, cégeps, institutes and polytechnics that is leading the transition to a low-carbon economy, and opened The Joyce Centre, Canada’s first net-zero carbon institutional building.

“Mohawk College serves as a model of what an institution can look like as it moves into the next phase on climate action,” says Flynn.

Five years of The Joyce Centre for Partnership & Innovation

The Joyce Centre for Partnership & Innovation, Canada’s first net-zero institutional building, has inspired many other such buildings and has welcomed thousands through its doors since it opened five years ago.

That includes everyone from local elementary school children to engineers and scientists from across the world, says Tony Cupido, Mohawk’s Research Chair in Sustainable Building Technologies.

He’s led hundreds of tours and the building has hosted numerous conferences for organizations that promote zero-carbon, lowenergy buildings, as well as engineering and architecture groups.

“With respect to its design and construction, this building was ground-breaking. Nothing on this scale had been done before. From a knowledge point of view, this building has contributed a great deal. I think it’s fair to say that virtually every Ontario university and college, and many others, have visited The Joyce Centre.”

Cupido recently led a tour for Hamilton Mayor Andrea Horwath and her team who are searching for efficiencies in the city’s operations of fire halls, police stations, arenas, community centres and other public buildings.

The Joyce Centre has served as a “backbone for student learning” within curriculum, capstone projects, and applied research, says Cupido.

Students have analyzed the performance of the water quality produced by the rainwater harvesting and filtration system, the building’s system of solar panels, the green roof, and its geothermal heating and 
cooling system.

“The thrill is the interest of students in this building, the projects they do and the outcomes they find. Seeing students learn from this building is very rewarding. They will have better knowledge about what buildings can be because they’ve lived and breathed in this building.”

There is now five years’ worth of data on the building’s performance, says Henry Colyn, Chief Building and Facilities Officer. Data is submitted each year to the Canada Green Building Council in order to maintain the building’s zero-carbon certification.

“We have an amazing team of people who operate that building. It’s very technically advanced and it requires technically advanced people skilled in energy, electrical, mechanical and building automation to operate it. It’s not just built and left to run, it needs constant monitoring and adjustment. The ongoing success of this building is 100% due to amazing facilities team we have assembled to operate it.” 

This story originally appeared in Momentum Magazine.

Canadian Colleges for a Resilient Recovery’s Quick Train Canada is providing a suite of upskilling, reskilling options for workers across the country.

Canadian Colleges for a Resilient Recovery (C2R2) is a nationwide effort led by Mohawk College to coordinate, amplify and accelerate the training and research necessary for the transition to a clean economy.

That foundational organization of 14 partnering colleges, cégeps, institutes and polytechnics from across Canada with strength in climate action and sustainability has now launched Quick Train Canada, a fully funded suite of microcredentials. They cover a wide variety of sectors, including agriculture and agri-food, transportation, natural resources and environment, clean technology, construction and industry development.

Through in-person, virtual and hybrid offerings, learners can choose from microcredentials offered at institutions across Canada. The goal is to train 10,000 people.

“As smart technology advances and the clean economy rolls out across the country, existing industries are adapting to remain competitive and new industries are gaining a strong foothold in the economy,” says Mohawk College President and CEO Ron J. McKerlie. 

Mohawk College founded C2R2 in the fall of 2020 and now acts as its coordinating secretariat.

“Quick Train Canada offers short, agile training targeting those already in the workforce. For some individuals, it might not be feasible to go back to school for a diploma or degree, but with the flexibility of microcredentials it is possible to upskill into a new position or a new industry,” says Adrienne Madden, Coalition Manager of C2R2.

In November 2022, the coalition received $46.5 million in funding from Employment and Social Development Canada under its Sectoral Workforce Solutions Program to support an education solution for all Canadians.

“The power to make a large impact quickly is 100 per cent the reason for the coalition,” says Paul Armstrong, Chief Operating Officer for Mohawk College and C2R2 Steering Group Co-Chair. “The members share an honest commitment to removing barriers and applying a national approach so that we can respond quickly to match the needs of a quickly changing economy.”

Each member institution leads in curriculum development, training and applied research within its own realm of expertise.

“That kind of coordinated effort on this scale has never been applied within the college system before. It’s a very efficient model because it eliminates duplication and the unnecessary expenditure of resources. Fourteen institutions are acting as one,” says Armstrong.

A key pillar of C2R2 is one of fostering inclusion, diversity and equity to ensure equitable access to opportunities. In order to ensure that C2R2’s work reflects the needs of business and industry, the coalition has established a national industry advisory council that brings together the voices of large industry sectors, Indigenous peoples, youth and other underrepresented groups.

So far, more than half of Quick Train learners identify as being among an equity-deserving group, which includes women, Indigenous people, racialized and visible minorities, people with disabilities, 2SLGBTQIA+ and newcomers.

“There is strength in this shared mission, this shared vision to work together and in the commitment to EDI (equity, diversity and inclusion),” says Christine Watson, Vice President, Academic at Red River College Polytechnic (RRCP) in Manitoba, one of C2R2’s founding members.

RRCP offers microcredentials in electric vehicle (EV) technology, EV communications and computer systems, building envelope science and working in social innovation andconsultation with Indigenous communities. It will soon roll out courses in hydrogen production, diesel exhaust emission reduction systems and hydrogen fuel cell vehicles.

“We know other colleges have expertise that we don’t have so it’s an opportunity to leverage our strengths and to call upon the capacity, resources and expertise of all the other colleges,” said Watson, who co-chairs the C2R2 steering group alongside Armstrong.

“This is the right time and these are the right offerings. Demand has been high for our training options. The majority of our learners are employed and are looking for shortburst training for new jobs or new fields. And because the federal government has backed this model, Canadians have access to training in a way they never have before,” she says.

“We are so impressed by the vision and leadership that Mohawk College and Ron and Paul brought forward. We cannot take this on individually. It has to be a collaborative, collective response.”

The need for this type of skills training is enormous.

The C2R2 secretariat team centred at Mohawk College is made up of nine people, including staff seconded from four member institutions. That secretariat provides administrative, communications and government relations support to the coalition and its associated groups, leads all grant applications, handles all day-to-day operations, and drives business development opportunities. 

This story originally appeared in Momentum Magazine.

The Sustainability Office offers a range of roles for students in delivering campus programs.

Sustainability is a key pillar of Mohawk College’s strategic plan and that comes to life in the Sustainability Office, which offers internships, co-ops, employment and volunteer opportunities for students.

The Sustainability Office is able to hire students for its programs through the Sustainability Initiatives Fund (SIF), a partnership between Mohawk College and the Mohawk Students’ Association.

Each year, several hundred students participate in sustainability programs at Mohawk College.

“Many of our programs and services have an engagement, outreach and peer-to-peer component to them, so students are very important to our team,” says Manager Allison Maxted.

They often come from environmental or technology programs, but also come from business, journalism, graphic design and marketing, says Maxted.

“Sometimes students want experience in their field but sometimes they are driven by their personal interests.”

Programs include an e-waste collection program, a bike loan program, free bike repairs and tune-ups, a secure bike cage, a community garden, a local food farm stand on campus, pollinator gardens and a bee apiary that is managed by a beekeeper.

“Most of our programs come from student ideas. We have an idea bank campaign annually and ask students to submit their ideas. The Sustainability Office and a committee that includes three College representatives and three from the MSA decides which programs to choose and how to spend the fund.”

The farm stand sells the food it buys from a local-food wholesaler to Mohawk students and staff at cost. Sales include Bounty Bags, which feature a recipe and all the ingredients for $20.

The Sustainability Office also manages an orientation program, offering reusable water bottles and a filling station, move-in and move-out donation boxes for any items that could go to charities or recycling, and lots of information so that students understand what sustainability means at Mohawk College.

“We try to make a big splash so it’s really visible.”

During the pandemic, the Sustainability Office also managed a mask recycling program that diverted 260,000 masks from the landfill.

The volunteer Green Team, which launched in September, is an opportunity for students to collect hours towards their Co-Curricular Record. Those who contribute five hours get a Green Team designation, along with a sustainability kit that includes reusable mugs, cutlery and dryer balls.

A key function of the Green Team, which has about 30 volunteers registered for this semester, is pop-up teaching at the centralized waste station in the Fennell campus cafeteria to help students understand how to sort properly.

Volunteers also do community cleanups and host workshops, such as a recent one that showed students how to have a wasteless winter break, says Cassi Brennan, Green Team Junior Coordinator.

She is in her final semester of Environmental Technology, working 15 hours a week for the Sustainability Office.

“Sometimes it’s a challenge to balance my studies and work, but because it’s sustainability I love it. I never dread going to work. I’m very happy and grateful to be in this role. I get to work with people who are super passionate about sustainability.”

Eva Dannys managed the community garden last summer after graduating from the Environmental Technician program in April 2022.

Her greatest challenge was getting all the garden plots ready after two years of reduced maintenance during the pandemic.

“The weeds definitely took over and the plants spread. It took a few weeks before we could turn over the gardens to get stuff growing.”

The garden is 51 plots measuring eight feet by four feet. The garden is free to use and simply requires registration in the early spring. Dannys, who now works as a quality control analyst for Collective Arts brewery, also provided advice and guidance about how to plant, grow and harvest vegetables and herbs.

Members have access to gardening tools and to a seed bank of donated seeds.

“You can pick and plant what you want. Everything you could need is on site.”

Last summer, students, faculty, staff and neighbours grew fruits and vegetables in the community garden. A kids’ summer camp at Mohawk College and outpatient rehabilitation patients from St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton across the street also managed plots.

“There is something so satisfying about growing your own food,” says Dannys. “There are a lot of life lessons in gardening and a community garden brings together people with lots of experience and those who have never had a garden. A community garden is so amazing in that way because people can learn from each other.” 

This story originally appeared in Momentum Magazine.