Mohawk College is putting learning opportunities on wheels this Fall.
A 53-foot custom-built mobile classroom is ready to tour Hamilton offering free college credit courses, workshops and pre-apprenticeship training as part of the City School initiative.
Dean of Community Partnerships and Experiential learning, Jim Vanderveken, says it’s about creating pathways to education in areas where the infrastructure may be lacking.
“We can actually place the unit within a neighbourhood and create a tremendous amount of access,” Vanderveken said.
“It is an opportunity for us to build aspirations for individuals who may not have thought about going to a college.”
After numerous consultations with community stakeholders, Mohawk College has decided that the classroom will launch with a focus on the trades.
Vanderveken says residents in many of the North End neighbourhoods were interested in developing welding skills.
The trailer is now equipped with 12 welding simulators that will be put to use for a 12- to 14-week course starting September 25 in the Crown Point neighbourhood.
This will follow the mobile classroom’s debut at the arts and music festival Supercrawl where it will be parked at James and Wilson streets for residents to explore.