Northern College receives $500,000 from KL Gold for new Innovation Hub | Timmins Daily Press
The construction of a new trades skills learning centre at Northern College in Timmins received a huge boost Friday.
Kirkland Lake Gold donated half-a-million dollars towards the Innovation Hub at Northern College.
Amy McKillip, manager of applied research, entrepreneurship and innovation at Northern College, said the new research facility is under construction now and she is expecting it to be ready for a grand opening by spring.
“The new Innovation Hub will open the door to many more education and career opportunities for the students of Northern College, as well as promote business opportunities in the area,” said McKillip.
The new facility, which will take over the existing lab space within the Timmins campus F wing, will feature trades-related labs, larger shops and tech-enhanced classrooms, as well as a manufacturing lab, prototyping lab, carpentry shop, welding shop, virtual reality lab, simulation lab, alternate energy lab, and a mining exploration lab along with several classrooms.
“We are grateful to companies like Kirkland Lake Gold for investing not only in the Innovation Hub, but in the region as a whole,” said McKillip. “Generosity like this allows for growth, prosperity and possibility for our communities that wouldn’t otherwise have been possible.”
Northern College will utilize about 24,000 square feet of free space in the lower F wing on campus and build the Innovation Hub there.
Northern College president and CEO Fred Gibbons, said the school is “constantly working to position itself as a valuable resource for our campus communities and catchment region.
“Industry support from companies in the area allows Northern College to continue to grow as a multifaceted institution with the kind of firm footing that allows us to provide the highest quality education and the industry ties that produce work ready graduates in their chosen fields.”
In July, the federal government made an investment of $191,466 for the Hub. Northern College was one of 17 institutions that received federal funding to put towards this project.
Northern College works with companies outside the school, particularly mining companies, but they are open to all types of research opportunities.
“Now, what we mean by research is developing a technological need,” McKillip said. “For example, if someone wanted to use a drone underground for its purpose, they can bring that drone to us and ask us to fix it, tweak it, improve it so that they can use it in the capacity they want underground and that’s what we would research and try help them.
Tony Makuch, president and CEO of Kirkland Lake Gold, speaks about the investment the company made of $500,000 to the Innovation Hub at the Northern College on Friday.RICHA BHOSALE/The Daily Press
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“So we do that for some reasons because it helps our local businesses, it helps the economy and it also helps our students with hands-on experimental learning. And we don’t do any research without our students.”
The benefits of the Innovation Hub are present in the variety of opportunities available to students. It’s still left to be seen if more funding for the project is on the way from the provincial level.
The main reason for the college to build this Hub is to offer students access to the latest and greatest technology labs.
Tony Makuch, president and CEO of Kirkland Lake Gold, said, “We fully recognize the importance of advancing research and innovation in our region and are delighted to be supporting Northern College and its Innovation Hub in launching this important new initiative.
“Our investments in community driven organizations and initiatives like those at The Northern College represent our shared commitment to improving the quality of life in the areas where we operate.”