Humber College closes Canadian Plastics Training Centre

Humber College Institute of Technology and Advanced Learning has closed its Canadian Plastics Training Centre (CPTC).

The closure is due to the downturn in the plastics industry, according to David Alcock, Associate Dean, School of Applied Technology at Humber College,

“This has not been an easy decision,” Alcock said. “Unfortunately, the market forces that are having such a devastating affect on the plastics parts suppliers in Ontario, are having an impact on the number of students who apply for plastics training at Humber. We have noticed a steady decline in the numbers of applicants going back over three years.”

The CPTC was created in 1993 as a partnership between the Canadian Plastics Industry Association and Humber College, with the support of the Ontario Federation of Labour. The Centre was set up to provide plastics processing training and education to those who work in the industry, as well as to those who wished to get training to enter the industry.

According to Alcock, over the last 15 years, more than 500 students have graduated from full time plastics programs and more than 1000 employees have received training in plastics processing through the CPTC.

The closure of the Humber program is the latest in a trend in plastics training. In 2004, the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology closed its Polymer Centre and, in 2007, the British Columbia Institute of Technology closed its Plastics Engineering program. In Quebec, A’Huntsic CEGEP is scheduled to close its plastics program in the spring.