Branthaven Homes donates $1 million to Mohawk College’s City School programs
Gift from Steve and Elizabeth Stipsits, Branthaven Homes to support residential construction trades training
Steve and Elizabeth Stipsits, and Branthaven Homes, have demonstrated their ongoing commitment to Mohawk College and workforce development in the construction trades by making a $1 million donation to the college’s City School program.
This generous donation will help to create new education and employment opportunities in the residential construction sector for people in underserved communities through City School training programs.
“We are incredibly grateful to Steve, Elizabeth and Branthaven Homes,” said Ron J. McKerlie President and CEO of Mohawk College and President of the Mohawk College Foundation. “This powerful gift will allow City School to provide training for people and help them secure lasting, meaningful work in construction trades while addressing labour shortages in the field.”
“The main reason for our investment in City School is to see up to 1200 students and their families no longer having to choose between paying for food or rent,” said Steve Stipsits, President of Branthaven Homes. “I have never seen a more powerful vehicle than City School for helping people step into careers and out of the cycle of multi-generational poverty.”
Steve Stipsits has a long connection to Mohawk College. He is an alumnus of the college, graduating from the Architectural Technology Program in 1984 before beginning his career. He is a Distinguished Fellow of the College and a Mohawk College Alumnus of Distinction. He generously served as a Governor of Mohawk College from 2017 until August 2022 and has been a champion of City School by Mohawk and the mobile classroom program that has become the hallmark of this nationally-recognized access program.
This Branthaven Homes donation will support a $2-million, five-year workforce development strategy that leverages City School by Mohawk College rapid skills-training programs and other Mohawk College assets to increase training capacity and address acute workforce shortages in the construction sector.
This will include:
- development of industry-focused training programs;
- addressing and removing barriers to training and employment for people in underserved communities;
- promotion of construction trades careers; and
- delivery of demand-led programs through City School by Mohawk College.
To acknowledge this gift, City School mobile classrooms will include branding that recognizes the support of Branthaven Homes. Also, to honour the generosity of Steve and Elizabeth Stipsits, and Branthaven Homes, the college also unveiled today the Branthaven Construction Trades, Technology & Research Centre at its Stoney Creek Campus for Skilled Trades.
Branthaven Homes
Branthaven is a family-owned company celebrating 50 years of homebuilding excellence. Founded in Burlington in 1971, Branthaven is committed to re-imagining the new home industry with design-forward, high quality homes that offer an exceptional lifestyle to those who live in them and enhanced value to the communities in which they belong. Our ongoing commitment has never wavered. We will continue our mission to craft communities and build homes you’re proud to call home.
Mohawk College
Mohawk College educates and serves more than 32,500 full-time, part-time, apprenticeship and international students at three main campuses in Hamilton, Ontario and learning hubs across Hamilton through City School by Mohawk, and at the College’s Centre for Aviation Technology at the Hamilton International Airport. Mohawk is a national leader in access to post-secondary education, through City School and other pathway and rapid-skills programs. City School programs are operated in learning hubs and mobile classrooms throughout the Hamilton region. A national City School pilot program is being delivered in partnership with Vancouver, Winnipeg and Halifax institutions. Through its Challenge 2025 workforce-recovery initiative, Mohawk College is working to address critical issues affecting education and employment for marginalized communities. A key aspiration of the college Strategic Plan is to Ensure access to education and reduce barriers for all.