WHITBY, ONT—Durham College (DC) recently held the grand opening for the Ontario Power Generation (OPG) Centre for Skilled Trades and Technology (CSTT) at its Whitby, Ont. campus.

The 60,000-square-foot facility is home to numerous specialized labs and shops that will allow DC to increase its industrial skilled trades training capacity in Whitby by 750 students, indicates a release. OPG partnered with DC to help fund the expansion.

The event featured tours of the CSTT; an Indigenous blessing given by Senator Cecile Wagar from the Oshawa and Durham Métis Council; an official ribbon cutting; and remarks from individuals representing DC students, alumni, employees and local community partners.

In less than three years, the DC Building for Skills campaign raised $9.5 million toward the $10 million in community support required to fully fund the $35 million project, which includes generous funding from the Region of Durham, the Town of Whitby and the Durham College Student Association, in addition to donations and gifts from individuals, corporations and foundations, states the release. Fundraising activities continue in an effort to close the gap, with an aim to complete the campaign this spring.

“This state-of-the-art facility is just the latest in Ontario Power Generations’ decades’-long partnership with Durham College,” said Subo Sinnathamby, senior vice-president, Nuclear Refurbishment with OPG, in a statement. “This partnership helps educate and train career-ready graduates to build a diverse population of potential employees for the energy sector in skilled trades and STEM. Now more than ever, we need skilled, talented and qualified graduates to support our current and future operational and project needs.”