MITT expands shop, more than doubles welding spots

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This article was published 21/06/2022 (1565 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

After 10 years worth of employer requests for expanded welder training capacity, the Manitoba Institute of Trades and Technology (MITT) has opened a 4,500 square foot expansion that more than doubles the number of welding booths at the college from 30 to 66.

The $4.5-million project includes the latest technology — each booth cost about $25,000 to outfit — and state of the art ventilation.

As well, the MITT has become the first Manitoba training partner with the Canadian Welding Bureau, an industry supported not-for-profit organization that provides welding certification, management systems registration and training services.

MITT will use CWB education and training resources and students. For instance, students can come out of a 10-month, Level 1 training program towards a journeyman designation as well as receive CWB certification for certain types of short-term training for production welding.

(Students who wish to continue on to attain journeyman status can do so at Assiniboine College for the remainder of in-class training.)

The expansion also includes an additional 2,000 square foot adjacent space that will be used for flexible advanced manufacturing training the specifics of which have yet to be determined.

Ray Karasevich, MITT’s CEO since 2017, said that by taking advantage of evening and weekend training and shorter term certifications, they will be able to have up to 232 seats available, up from 60.

Karasevich said, “And that means we will be able to serve more than 600 learners every year across multiple intakes.”

Colleen Munro, the CEO of Munro Group and chair of the Manitoba Construction Sector Council which just signed a memorandum of understanding with MITT, said the province is short of labour for all industries.

“Our industry is always looking for welders,” she said. “We’re trying to promote the trades. We need to get younger people drawn in.”

MITT’s close connection to the private sector for co-op placements, practicum and eventually employment was another attraction for CWB.

“That means MITT students will be trained the right way. Considering the demand (including for better trained welders), the opportunities for young people new to the trade are absolutely limitless as to where they can go and what they can do,” said Trent Konrad, the CWB’s director of education

Karasevich said that MITT’s 4,000-strong student body has a 96 per cent chance of finding employed, 90 per cent of whom will find work in their chosen field.

The institute — which also includes specialized IT and cyber-security courses that are offered to Pembina Trails high school students — has almost doubled in size since 2014 when there were about 2,000 students.

In addition to the expanded welding capacity, the trade school just released its latest five-year strategic plan that includes greater emphasis on digital technologies across all its 30-plus programs, a focus on sustained growth, and a commitment to become more diverse.

About 23 per cent of its student body is Indigenous and the strategic plan calls for the creation of an Indigenous Advisory Circle.

martin.cash@freepress.mb.ca