Mobile classroom brings Mohawk College into high-need Hamilton neighbourhoods

Mohawk College is taking its show on the road.

The college has unveiled a mobile classroom, which will travel throughout Hamilton’s high-need neighbourhoods, offering tuition-free, pre-apprenticeship training and college credit courses and workshops.

Mohawk president Ron McKerlie says the 16-metre custom-built trailer, which is funded through a $1.6 million grant from the provincial government, is about “improving access to post-secondary education” by “removing barriers.”

The first stop is at the Centre on Barton, where it’s offering apprenticeship welding training to residents of the Crown Point neighbourhood.

McKerlie says it will move every 10-to-12 weeks and will offer programming based on “the needs of the community and the interest that there is” and that could range from electrical or carpentry to health or business classes.

The mobile classroom is part of Mohawk College’s City School Initiative which aims to put a college education within everyone’s reach. It also runs programs out of the central public library branch and the Eva Rothwell Resource Centre.