Biggest Trades Campus in Canada Coming to Waterloo

Conestoga College is building the largest and most comprehensive trades school in Canada. The Skilled Trades Campus is a multi-year project designed to consolidate the college’s skilled trades and apprenticeship programs into one location.

Phase Two of the Skilled Trades Campus, a 221,671 square-foot building, is now under construction. The $155-million investment will support the growing need for skilled-trades positions in Canada, strengthening the skilled trades workforce across the region and country.

Here’s what you need to know:

Phase Two enhances the existing state-of-the-art facility

Phase One opened in 2022. The 335,000 square-foot facility was the first step in Conestoga’s long-term project. It sits off Canada’s 401 superhighway on a 40-acre plot, consists of two levels and is capable of accommodating more than 500 students studying to become electricians, plumbers, mechanical engineers, industrial millwrights and more. Fifty percent of the building is dedicated to hands-on workshops and labs, demonstrating Conestoga’s commitment to first-hand experiential learning.

Once Phase Two is complete, the Skilled Trades campus will be more than 540,000 square-feet. The two buildings will be joined by a covered walkway.

Mike Szabo, principal of Diamond Schmitt Architects, which is the company designing the campus, says, “It’s a real evolution for Conestoga. The college previously had a number of facilities, which were generally repurposed industrial buildings, distributed throughout the Kitchener-Waterloo and Cambridge areas.”

The result will be a consolidated, state-of-the-art skilled trades campus in Cambridge that creates a community for students and provides top-quality learning to address the growing need for tradespeople.

The building will address the skilled trades gap

Conestoga College is seeing more and more young people enroll in its School of Trades and Apprenticeship. According to Statistics Canada, more than 81,000 Canadians registered in apprenticeship programs in 2022, an 11.6% increase from a year earlier. Conestoga’s new facility will continue to attract young people to the Waterloo area and equip them with the skills they need to succeed in the local workforce.

Conestoga is also committed to diversifying its student population as demand for tradespeople increases. The school offers female-specific programs, such as the Engineering, Technology and Trades for Women (ETT4W) initiative and daylong Jill of All Trades events, which introduce high-school-aged women to the skilled trades.

Skilled trades talent will bolster Waterloo’s workforce

With the construction of the campus underway, Waterloo is on track to be the top source of skilled trades talent in Canada. Conestoga offers several labs, apprenticeship opportunities and co-op programs for students, blending technical and theoretical learning in the education experience. This means that graduates are well-equipped for the workforce, with the necessary skills, education and experience local companies need. They rarely need additional training to hit the ground running.

Conestoga is well-known for building strong relationships with local industry partners, like Toyota and ATS Corporation. The new Skilled Trades Campus will continue to strengthen these community ties and the skilled talent pipeline in the Waterloo community. Waterloo is already largest robotics and automation cluster in Canada, with 150+ years of manufacturing experience. The Skilled Trades Campus will continue to keep the region at the forefront of manufacturing and trades innovation.

Conestoga College is a leading polytechnic institution in Canada

Conestoga offers a wide range of skilled trades programs and apprenticeships, as well as fully accredited engineering degrees. The school places an emphasis on experiential learning, with 40-50% of classes taking place inside the shop.

“Employers benefit from this type of learning because students come with the foundational skills and knowledge they need to begin work right away which saves them time on training,” says Suzanne Moyer, Dean of Trades and Apprenticeships at Conestoga College.