How Humber Polytechnic’s new centre for skilled trades powers productivity and fuels economic growth

Although Genevieve L’Abbé studied engineering, computer science and psychology in university, her future employment looked uncertain.
As an athletics coach in high-performance kayaking, she had dabbled in boat repair – a skill that led her to think about taking up a trade. 
“I was bouncing around a lot doing fun summer jobs, thinking ‘I can’t do this forever,’” said L’Abbé, 26. “The skilled trades looked like a good option. I like the hands-on aspect as opposed to sitting at a desk.”
She enrolled in Humber’s 10-week Electrician Pre-Apprenticeship Program and one year later, she is out in the field and wired for success.
Within that year, she’s done mainly commercial work, such as outfitting a school’s electrical system including putting in alarm systems and running lights through the ceilings.
She currently works in utilities as a member of the Canadian Union of Skilled Workers, where she’s on call for Ontario Hydro. This involves handling much higher voltages, and she’s constantly learning about the challenges that come with it.
State-of-the-art training
As the province invests in highways, housing and other construction projects, Humber Polytechnic is meeting the needs of a changing and in-demand industry. Its recently expanded and renovated Centre for Skilled Trades & Technology will add 500 skilled trades training opportunities for pre-apprenticeship, apprenticeship and post-secondary students with improved quality of education and facility upgrades.
“Humber Polytechnic is a leader in creating state-of-the-art learning labs that provide the opportunity for students to collaborate and obtain hands-on experience using cutting-edge equipment and facilities,” said Paul Griffin, senior dean, Faculty of Applied Sciences & Technology, Humber Polytechnic.
Phase one of the expansion, funded through Ontario’s Apprenticeship Capital Grant (ACG), added 16,000 square feet of classroom space to increase the number of skilled trades training opportunities for pre-apprentices, apprentices and post-secondary learners.
Recognizing the growing demand for certain skilled trades, Humber Polytechnic has equipped its new Centre with heating, refrigeration, and air conditioning (HRAC) lab, as well as a gas and oil lab, an AR/VR/XR simulation studio, a heat plant, study spaces, a remote studio, and collaboration pods. With HVAC listed among the top ten highest-demand trades in 2024, according to Construction Ontario, Humber is proactively addressing industry needs by ensuring students are trained in areas that are critical to the labour market.
A 10,000-square-foot woodworking lab is also available for students in the furniture and cabinet-making-techniques program (converted, appropriately, from a former furniture manufacturing plant), as well as for those in the industrial woodworking program.
The Centre offers enhanced training for dozens of trades, from urban arboriculture to welding. Phillip Stubbs, director of academic programs for skilled trades & apprenticeship, encourages students to explore as many options as possible, especially the lesser-known trades.
“Everyone has a definition of what a plumber or carpenter does, but may draw a blank at arborist or millwright,” he said, adding that the latter is “a hidden gem.”
Building symbiotic relationships with industry experts and keeping up with industry trends is key to maintaining a relevant curriculum, said Stubbs.
“It is essential, year after year, to evaluate what’s happening in the industry. Many faculty members continue to work in the field, bringing that valuable knowledge and experience back into the institution.”
Union and industry partners, such as DEWALT®, regularly use Humber facilities to train their own employees and present seminars and demonstrate or supply the latest tools and equipment to students.
“Our technology is reflective of what the students would experience out in the industry,” said Stubbs. “It’s important to have the equipment that is used in real settings. Skilled trades are hands-on, so we need to give students the exposure to the equipment that they’re going to use.”
Humber Polytechnic also offers Pathways to the Skilled Trades, a free federally funded eight-week program for people aged 18 to 30, who may not have completed high school, are financially disadvantaged and most distant from employment.
Students attend class for 30 hours a week to “experiment with the trades so they can figure out what might be a good fit for them,” said Lynn VanLieshout, manager of community projects.
The program aims to expose participants to as many trades as possible through Humber’s main modules: finish carpentry offers courses in drafting safety, cabinet construction and introduction to tools; landscaping focuses on horticultural, groundskeeping and arborist; industrial has welding, electrical controls and machine shop; and residential construction covers plumbing, carpentry, electrical and framing.
“We provide employment readiness workshops on things like how to write resumes and cover letters, and how to make cold calls,” said VanLieshout. “We practice interviewing skills and teach students what it’s like to work within a union and what the expectations of employers might be.”
Similar to Pathways, the Advanced Manufacturing program offers a free, 16-week upskilling program designed to equip students with the skills and knowledge needed in the rapidly changing landscape of advanced manufacturing. 
It aims to empower students who are coming out of high school and mid-career professionals to enter or progress within the Advanced Manufacturing sector. Students earn a certificate in Advanced Manufacturing upon completion of the five designated micro-credentials, covering trades including lean manufacturing, mechatronic control systems, program logic controllers, electric motors, actuators and drives, and electric pneumatics and hydraulics — skills that are directly applicable in current high-tech manufacturing settings.  
Landing a job
Getting through a program is one thing, finding and succeeding in a job is another. After applying to 100 companies L’Abbé worked as a labourer on a site in Belleville for 30 days, where she got to know the electricians and was eventually taken on as an apprentice for the electrical team.
The follow-up support Humber provided when seeking employment was invaluable, L’Abbé said. “Advisors were easily accessible to share ideas on things like tailoring a resume for a particular position, how to network, how to gauge whether a company is reputable and respectful to women, and generally providing encouragement to not give up the job search and persevere.”
With women making up only four percent of onsite construction trade workers, navigating a site was an adjustment, said L’Abbé.
“I hadn’t been socialized in a male environment, but I haven’t faced any outright discrimination,” she said. “Usually, the issue is just an oversight, like there wasn’t a safety harness that fit. When I pointed it out to the project lead, he was horrified.”
“But if you bring up an incident and nothing is done, it’s not worth working there,” she said.
Societally there is still an outdated stereotype that trades are somehow demeaning, said Stubbs.
“The misconception that trades are for people who are not good academically is a fallacy,” he said. “Skilled trades combine academic and hands-on or practical learning.”
Considering the Canadian Electrical Code is 987 pages, L’Abbé would 100 per cent agree that her trade is incredibly demanding, from learning to read prints, to where to put cables.
“It’s complicated and though I don’t know it all yet, I’m confident that I’ll learn it quickly,” she said. “What’s great about what I do is that the work is different every day, I learn every day and I can see what I’ve done at the end of it.”
As Stubbs said, “the trades provide a good career and salary,” noting “you’ve got to work your way into it.”
“People who get into the trades bring passion to what they’re doing,” he added. “Being in the trades can fundamentally change somebody’s life.”
Just ask Genevieve L’Abbé, and her now more certain employment path.