Johnson Controls supports Durham College in Oshawa
June 28, 2023 | By HPAC Magazine
The significant grant will help fund bursaries, a new building automation lab and more.
Durham College in Ontario, with facilities in Oshawa and Whitby, has been named a recipient of a grant from Johnson Controls that will help meet the growing need for skilled technology workers by providing the school’s Electromechanical Engineering Technology students with financial support and mentorship opportunities.
The college will receive $95,000 this year, plus $5,000 in equipment, with the total $100,000 commitment renewable for three more years.
Proceeds from the grant will include:
- Annual entrance bursaries valued at $2,000 each to five students who demonstrate financial need and belong to an equity-deserving group entering their first semester of studies in the Electromechanical Engineering Technology program.
- Opportunities for students to be mentored and connect on and off campus with Johnson Controls employees to gain additional insight into their future careers.
- New equipment that will support the college’s Electromechanical Engineering Technology curriculum and the establishment of a new building automation lab.
- Opportunities to share the benefits of the program with new prospective students.
“Not only are we investing in the next generation of workforce leaders, but the mentoring associated with this initiative reminds our employees why we do what we do,” said Julie Brandt, president of building solutions North America at Johnson Controls. “We’re looking at our future and through partnership with these colleges we’re all contributing to a better-supported trades industry.”
The college’s three-year Electromechanical Engineering Technology program combines electronics design, mechanical technologies and industrial automation.
Since 2021, the Johnson Controls Community College Partnership Program has distributed $1 million annually across 10 community colleges in North America. Durham College is the only Canadian institution to receive funding this year and just the second in the program’s history.
First-year students beginning DC’s Electromechanical Engineering Technology program in September 2023 can apply for the Johnson Controls entrance bursary online.
