PARTNER PROFILE: BARRETT CENTRE FOR TECHNOLOGY INNOVATION
NEWSLETTER
JANUARY 2021
A new $3 million gift from leading automotive supplier Magna is helping to support its employees and Humber graduates for an evolving workforce. The gift will be distributed over five years through 22 scholarships and other initiatives to develop, attain and enhance the skills needed for the future workforce, particularly in the advanced manufacturing sector. This recent commitment also builds on more than 20 years of collaboration between Humber and Magna. “The way we can stay ahead in a competitive and constantly changing world is to plan and invest in the future,” said Aaron McCarthy, Magna’s chief human resources officer. Magna’s gift will help to support equipment needs and special initiatives at the Barrett Centre for Technology Innovation, including skills competitions, applied research projects, apprenticeship training, continuing education, and traditional and digital skills training programs. The investment will also create new upskilling opportunities, which will benefit Magna employees.
Pictured above (L-R): Neal Mohammed, director, Barrett CTI, Greg James, regional sales manager, Festo Didactic, and Conrad Rieckhof, product manager, Festo Canada, pose for a photo in the Festo Cyber Physical Factory in the Barrett CTI during a virtual webinar. Not Shown-Mike Nager, business development, Festo Didactic (presenter).
Barrett CTI partners finding new virtual ways to engage and innovate In 2020 and now 2021, the Barrett Centre for Technology Innovation (Barrett CTI) has continued to make new and enhanced connections with partners in the manufacturing, education and applied research sectors. This would not be possible without the technology and expertise from the Barrett CTI and Humber’s Advanced Manufacturing Skills Consortium, which fully supported the transition to virtual events and initiatives.
Introducing high school students to STEM In November 2020, Consortium partner Cisco collaborated with the Barrett CTI to host ‘Take Your Kids to STEM Day’. This two-hour virtual event showed high school students the diverse career opportunities within the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) disciplines. By using Cisco’s WebEx platform with its substantial virtual attendee capacities, more than 350 high school students attended the event.
“At Magna, we’re committed to providing students and working people with opportunities to further their education, gain new skills, and bring out the best in themselves. This is a core part of the Magna culture and we’re grateful for the opportunity to continue our partnership with Humber College,” said McCarthy.
Students heard from a variety of presenters, including Jill Heinerth, a cave diver and underwater explorer who is currently the Explorer in Residence for the Royal Canadian Geography Society.
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While any high school student could attend, one of Cisco’s goals was to get more young women thinking about careers in technology. “The goal overall is to reach out to young girls across the country and let them know that a career in technology is something that’s available, exciting and where they can really make a huge impact,” said Willa Black, vice-president of corporate affairs for Cisco Canada.
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ARTICLE CONTINUED The lineup of speakers and demonstrations received rave reviews from students, particularly for Humber’s interactive presentation, which showcased 3D printing technology, robotics using the DrawBot interactive display and Jade robots. The goal of the presentation was to show students the impact and relevancy these technologies have on their daily lives and how it ties back to potential careers. In pre/post event surveys, 41 per cent of students initially said they were interested in a STEM career, while that percentage increased to 72 by the end of the event. “The team at Humber clearly understands how to reach students, and their session was a living, breathing example of how to get students excited about technology,” said Black.
Webinars reignite the sector The Barrett CTI and the Consortium partners launched the Re-ignite our Manufacturing Engine Webinar series in November 2020. The manufacturing industry has been significantly impacted by the pandemic, and the series was one way for everyone to help businesses recover and come back stronger. The free virtual series was originally planned as an in-person event until the pandemic forced a change of strategy. The webinars were open to employees from small-to-medium sized enterprises, Humber faculty, staff and students and anyone else interested in an array of topics including agile manufacturing, 3D printing and customized machine vision solutions. Consortium partners DMG MORI, Festo, Javelin Technologies, KUKA, Rockwell Automation, SEW EURODRIVE and SICK each presented a one-hour webinar. In total, 640 internal and external stakeholders registered for the series. For the full breakdown of webinars, click here. Festo took a unique approach with their webinar. They included a live virtual demonstration of their technology inside the Barrett CTI and combined it with PowerPoint presentations. They began by outlining the company’s presence in Industry 4.0 with new innovations like the VTEM Motion Terminal, the world’s first valve terminal able to be controlled by apps. Festo is a global leader in the automation sector, but also have another division called Festo Didactic which develops learning systems and services to the education sector. “We’re predominantly an automation company, but we have another division called Festo Didactic, which is the educational arm of the company. We wanted to incorporate presentations and topics from both divisions.” said Greg James, regional sales manager for Festo Didactic. Festo presenters provided a description of the new Motion Terminal, then handed it over to a Festo Didactic representative who explained what the company is currently doing to improve advanced manufacturing education.
PROFILE CONTINUED Magna’s donation will help address the current skills gap by providing students with unique learning experiences and training them to use the industry’s newest tools and technology. As employers expand Smart Factory and Industry 4.0 technologies, those skills are in high demand. “Magna has chosen to invest in our shared vision for addressing the skills gap and providing the experiential learning needed to succeed in the skills economy,” said Chris Whitaker, president and CEO of Humber College. “We are immensely grateful for Magna’s generosity and we look forward to working together to provide students with new learning and employment opportunities.” Magna’s gift is one of the largest donations to Unlimited, Humber’s firstever fundraising campaign. Humber’s ambition is to ignite discovery and innovation, accelerate student potential and transform the learning experience. With this gift, Humber has raised more than $39 million towards the $50 million campaign.
James ended the presentation with an overview of the Cyber Physical Factory at the Barrett CTI, giving a hands-on demonstration at the end. “The hybrid approach and demonstration of the Smart Factory made it easy to understand. I’m passionate about pneumatics and hydraulics,” said one webinar attendee. The Consortium plans to host other webinar sessions through the Barrett CTI in 2021 and beyond and are looking forward to building upon the successes and learnings from this inaugural series. For more information about the Barrett CTI, visit www.humber.ca/barrettcti or contact Neal Mohammed, director, Barrett Centre for Technology Innovation, neal.mohammed@humber.ca.
A Magna employee smiles in front of her workstation at one of Magna’s automotive factories. Note: This image was taken before the COVID-19 pandemic.