Ontario Construction News staff writer
The Ontario government is providing $32 million to add 1,971 postsecondary seats at Humber Polytechnic in health care, STEM and skilled trades programs.
New seats are part of a $1.7-billion provincial plan to add more than 70,000 seats at publicly assisted colleges and universities in programs linked to labour-market demand.
Humber will receive funding for 356 skilled-trades seats, along with 1,187 health-care and 428 STEM, starting in the fall 2026 academic year.
“At Humber Polytechnic, we’re adding nearly 2,000 additional seats in health care, STEM and skilled trades programs to build a workforce that’s ready for the future and makes our province more competitive,” said Premier Doug Ford.
The province announced funding for the first 30,000 seats in May and later called for proposals for the remaining 40,000.
Colleges and universities submitted plans based on their institutional strengths, local labour-market needs, regional economic trends and student demand.
More than 1,000 letters of support were received from employers for expanded seats in high-demand programs.
Humber president and CEO Ann Marie Vaughan said the additional seats will help address current and future workforce needs.
The funding is part of the government’s broader $6.4-billion investment in the postsecondary sector. Ontario says the new funding model will increase annual operating funding for colleges, universities and Indigenous Institutes to $7 billion, a 30 per cent increase.
The Ontario Chamber of Commerce also welcomed the funding.
“Strengthening Ontario’s talent pipeline is critical to our competitiveness and today’s investment will help ensure employers can find the skilled workers they need to grow,” said president and CEO Daniel Tisch.
