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Humber College will welcome an additional 1,395 students and apprentices next fall thanks to a $7 million government investment in a new Applied Skills Training Centre, John Milloy announced yesterday.

The Ontario Minister of Training, Colleges and Universities was on hand at the college's North Campus Thursday to help Humber President John Davies unveil plans to purchase and renovate a nearby building to accommodate the teaching of latest techniques in the high-demand skilled construction trades.

Milloy said that while there's a construction boom going on in all of Ontario, there's also a demographic change in the skilled trades - more retirements requiring more young, highly trained individuals to take those places. And that's where institutions like Humber, with a little help from the government, will step in to fill the gaps, he said.

"There's no argument that education is about personalities - the interaction between teacher and student - but beyond that you have to acknowledge the bricks and mortar, the facilities themselves, which need to be safe, modern and up-to-date," Milloy told a crowd that included more than 20 of Humber's hard-hatted apprentices. "You can't train for tomorrow's jobs on yesterday's equipment."

The $11 million project, which is expected to be completed by fall 2009, will add about 95,000 square feet of space to the college, allowing for an additional 1,395 students - 500 of which will be apprentices.

With the Construction Sector Council projection that Ontario will need more than 35,000 new skilled trades workers to meet construction demand between now and 2015, the funding for the new centre couldn't have come at a more opportune time. Humber is anticipating a 20 to 50 per cent increase in demand for skills training and apprenticeships programs, Davies said.

"Emerging technologies in solar, geothermal, generation, instrumentation and grid sync all need skilled electricians, plumbers, and heating and ventilation mechanics," he said. "Our new Applied Skills Training Centre, along with highly skilled faculty, will allow us to provide the best training for students."

By purchasing and renovating an existing building - a vacant warehouse on Carrier Drive - the college was allowed to add almost four times the space for the same cost as constructing a new building, Davies added. And its nearby location (it's just a little over a kilometer away) also provides students in the new centre with easy access to all existing services in the nearby North Campus.