How Industry Collaboration is Powering Student Success at Humber
December 5, 2025
By Laura Zarnke
Celebrating Humber’s Advanced Manufacturing Skills Consortium and their commitment to student success
On October 30, Humber Polytechnic’s Barrett Centre for Technology Innovation (Barrett CTI) once again welcomed students, faculty, and industry leaders to celebrate a partnership that’s making a real difference.
At this year’s Advanced Manufacturing Skills Consortium Partner Celebration, guests heard how industry support from the consortium continues to help students succeed and contribute to Canada’s growing technology sector.
The Barrett CTI’s consortium partners – a group of 11 leading industry partners including BDATA, Cisco, DMG Mori, FESTO, Javelin Technologies, KUKA, Magna, Rockwell Automation, SCHUNK, SEW-Eurodrive, and SICK Sensor Intelligence – shape how students learn and engage with industry by supporting advanced equipment labs, mentorship, training environments, scholarships, and applied research collaboration opportunities for students. It’s an environment where hands-on learning is central to every student’s experience.
For Barrett CTI Director Neal Mohammad, this partnership is foundational to Humber’s polytechnic model of education.
“These partnerships are about creating real-world opportunities that help students grow their confidence, discover their potential and find their place in industry,” he said. “Every hands-on experience or mentorship conversation can open the door to a future a student might never have imagined.”
The impact of that philosophy is clear in the accomplishments of Electromechanical Engineering Technology students Cole Hunter and Grant Maddock. The pair has earned consecutive Skills Canada national gold medals, achieved top standings at the prestigious Hannover Messe competition in Germany and will represent Canada at WorldSkills 2026 in Shanghai.
Speaking directly to partners at the event, Grant expressed his gratitude.
“On behalf of all the students here, I want to thank the partners for providing amazing opportunities to learn and grow. This is what sets my experience at Humber apart.”
Beyond competitions, students benefit each day from access to FESTO automation systems, Magna-supported training environments, faculty mentorship informed by real industry needs and more. These experiences cultivate job-ready graduates who contribute to innovation in automation, advanced manufacturing, sustainability, and more.
As the event concluded, one message was clear – when industry and education work together, students thrive and the future of Canada’s workforce becomes stronger. The Consortium’s support doesn’t just advance learning – it advances the future of industry.
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Humber Polytechnic is a technical institute located in the Greater Toronto Area of Ontario, and it has a long history of building brilliance and training the workforce of the future. In this article, Neal Mohammed, Director of the Barrett Centre for Innovation Technology shares his insights about Humber’s initiatives in Mechatronics and workforce development.
