Heather Sande, a student ambassador from the Ontario Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities Tuition Grant Outreach Team speaks to a Mohawk student about the province's 30 per cent off Ontario Tuition Grant. The team is at The Square today to answer students' questions and help them apply for the grant online.

Mohawk students could be eligible for 30 per cent off their tuition if:

• They are a full-time student at a public college or university in Ontario,


• It's been less than four years since they left high school,


• They are in a program that they can apply to directly from high school,


• Their parents' gross income is $160,000 or less.

OYAP is a long-standing program of the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universitry’s Apprenticeship Branch that gives secondary school students the opportunity to become apprentices and work part-time while completing a secondary diploma. Mohawk College offers OYAP programs in partnership with the Ministry and various school boards, including the Brant Haldimand Norfolk Catholic District School Board.

The Brantford culinary program was the first time that the apprenticeship portion was offered on a part-time basis as opposed to a block. Students completed their hours during the evening and continued their secondary studies during the regular school day. 

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Graduates of the program, not only possess the knowledge and skills required to install solar panels on residential or commercial buildings, but also have a basic understanding of roofing, welding and other construction techniques. The additional skills will help the students market themselves to employers in the growing green energy sector and could lead to employment in other industries such as roofing or construction.

The program was designed in conjunction with the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities, Mohawk College, E-Gen, the Niagara Peninsula Aboriginal Area Management Board (NPAAMB), Generation Seven Consulting, and the Ontario Sustainable Energy Association. All 26 students from the program come from the local Aboriginal community, including Niagara and Hamilton.

The system will reduce the need for students to repeat similar courses or years at different institutions, allowing them to save time and money and graduate faster. 

To give students the best of a college and university education, McMaster and Mohawk have a significant track record of collaboration through the creation of a Bachelor of Technology program and collaborative degree programs in Nursing and Medical Radiation Sciences.

More than 3300 students have benefitted from joint McMaster/Mohawk initiatives over the last ten years.  In 2008, the Ontario government invested $16.5 million to support the McMaster-Mohawk BTech program.  

“Mohawk and McMaster have developed a unique ability of working together that has benefitted thousands of students,” said McMaster University President Patrick Deane.  “Our goal of finding new ways for students to have the advantages of both a college and university education will be strengthened by the new credit transfer system.”  

Deane was part of the Ministry’s steering committee that advised the government on the development of a credit transfer system.

The McMaster-Mohawk BTech program was the first of its kind in Canada and was recognized in 2006 by the Yves Landry Foundation with the Innovative Manufacturing Technology Program Award: University Level.  Both the Nursing and Medical Radiation Sciences collaborative degree programs at the Mohawk-McMaster Institute of Applied Health Sciences have achieved the highest possible levels of accreditation.

“The Province’s new credit transfer system helps Mohawk deliver on our commitment to give every student a clear path to a university degree,” said Mohawk College President Rob MacIsaac.  Mohawk surveys show that 40 per cent of incoming students at the college are interested in continuing their education at university.

Building on the success of collaborative degree programs in health and technology, McMaster and Mohawk are currently exploring similar collaborations for students in a number of different disciplines. As part of the credit transfer system, the province is establishing a new innovation fund to help universities and colleges develop more transfer options for students.

“We’re definitely interested in learning more about the Credit Transfer Innovation Fund as we look at further strengthening the spirit of collaboration between our institutions and giving even more students the best of a McMaster and Mohawk education,” said MacIsaac.

As one of Ontario’s largest colleges, Mohawk provides hands-on training to more than 15,000 full-time and apprenticeship students and 42,000 continuing registrants. More than 4,500 highly skilled, future ready students graduate from Mohawk annually.

McMaster University, one of four Canadian universities listed among the Top 100 universities in the world, is renowned for its innovation in both learning and discovery. It has a student population of 23,000, and more than 140,000 alumni in 128 countries.

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