Centennial College will soon have a new aerospace campus at Downsview Park. Ontario is investing $25.8 million to help develop the Centennial College Downsview Park Aerospace Campus in Toronto, while the federal government will provide $18.4 million.
The joint investment will make it possible for about 500 new students to attend the three new aerospace and aviation-related programs that will be available at this campus, in addition to the 400 that will move to this facility from another Centennial campus.
More than 900 students graduate every year from aerospace and aviation-related programs in Ontario postsecondary institutions. Investing in this project helps the province continue to build a high-tech hub that will allow students to develop the skills they need for the roles they will be filling.
“Centennial’s new training facility will anchor Ontario’s first aerospace industry cluster, deemed vital to meeting challenges to Canada’s fifth-place ranking as an aerospace technology provider in a global market,” said Ann Buller, president and CEO of Centennial College, in a press release. “But more than that, the rejuvenation of the historic de Havilland plant will bring new activity to a local community that will benefit from it, as well as form a magnet for Canadian aerospace investment. It will also strengthen Centennial’s ranking as a top-10 applied research college in Canada.”
“Our government is proud to support Centennial College’s new Downsview Park Aerospace Campus. It will provide a leading-edge learning environment for students to prepare for high-tech knowledge jobs in the aerospace industry,” added Deb Matthews, Minister of Advanced Education and Skills Development. “Providing access to high-quality education and training facilities is critical to building the highly skilled workforce we need to support good jobs and economic growth for today and tomorrow, and this investment will help us to do it.”
Over half of the world’s top 25 aerospace firms do business in Ontario. According to a press release from the province, the Ontario aerospace sector directly employs more than 21,000 workers and supports another 17,000.
