Barrett Family Foundation Gift Benefits Students, Humber, and Industry

What the Donation from The Barrett Family Foundation Means to Students, the College, and Industry
$30 million dollar gift from the Barrett Family Foundation marks an historic day for Humber College

April 13, 2023

By Krystie Johnston

Historic Day for Humber College

January 24, 2023 was an historic day for Humber College. The college received the largest, private donation presented to an Ontario college in Canadian history. A $30 million dollar gift from the Barrett Family Foundation will be used to support the College and its students and is an investment in the future of manufacturing. This most recent donation, combined with previous gifts to the College, total $42 million, cementing The Barrett Family’s generous investments as the largest in Canadian college history. 

The Barrett Family Foundation has a strong history of supporting Humber. In 2018, the Foundation donated $10 million, serving as the catalyst for the creation of the Barrett Centre for Technology Innovation. The Barrett CTI is a 93,000 square-foot facility with specialized spaces and advanced technology that brings together students, faculty, and industry to work in a collaborative environment.

The Foundation also has a long history of supporting youths across the globe. In 2022, they donated $2 million towards a STEM initiative led by Humber College’s International Development Institute. Funded in part by Humber and other groups, this initiative will work to enhance gender equality and empowerment of adolescent girls aged 14 to 18 in Kenya and Ethiopia and who are under-represented in STEM fields.

The Barrett Family Foundation have always had an interest in giving back to the community and have ensured that this money will be well spent on initiatives that will support students, the college, and industry.

Donation Serves Humber and Students

The $30 million will be used in five key areas:

  • student learning and support, this includes things like scholarships and bursaries
  • core support and dedicated human resources for the Barrett Centre
  • keeping equipment and technology current
  • industry-driven skills training and development
  • outreach, which is middle school and high school experiential learning and micro credentials
What the Donation from The Barrett Family Foundation Means to Students, the College, and Industry
Money will be well spent on initiatives that will support students, the college, and industry

“The STEM initiative is dear to Mr. Barrett. He wants to ensure the young generation understands the future and the opportunities for careers in the technology and advanced manufacturing fields, and highlight that obtaining a college credential is a good career choice.”Neal Mohammed, Director, Barrett Centre for Technology Innovation

Mohammed worked closely with Bob Barrett, Cofounder of The Barrett Family Foundation and CEO and President of Polytainers for years. In fact, Mohammed trained many of his staff in plastic molding equipment processes at his manufacturing operations in Etobicoke, and many of the employees he trained still work there. A recent employee just celebrated their 45th anniversary with the company; and that says something about Mr. Barrett and his operation.

“Mr. Barrett knows how important it is to have skilled workers to keep operations going. He praises the College’s hands-on system and understands how vital it is to the economy.” Neal Mohammed, Director, Barrett Centre for Technology Innovation

With the future in mind, The Barrett CTI is preparing students for the jobs of the future by providing them the tools and support to foster a passion for careers in STEM. Not only will this money be used to create more than 100 scholarships to help make post-secondary education more affordable, but it will also be used to entice students in late middle school to early high school to pursue careers in STEM. Specifically, students in grades 6 to 12, young women especially, are targeted with funding outreach activities that enhance their employability through workforce training and upskilling.

“Mr. Barrett enjoys helping young kids in high school turn on their lightbulbs to experiential learning. At the Barrett Centre, we have a STEM lab, and to date we have served over 13 thousand students from middle high school. I hope they really like technology and want to come to a college to further their careers in some field or aspect of technology.” Neal Mohammed, Director, Barrett Centre for Technology Innovation

Future in Mind

There are many industries struggling with labour shortages, and this will only be felt more strongly in the years to come as more baby boomers retire. Therefore, it is critical to inspire the younger generation to consider a job in the skilled trades. The Barrett Centre has modern technologies that manufacturers need and can provide a resource to the industry by ensuring that students who graduate from Humber are prepared for the jobs on of the future.

What the Donation from The Barrett Family Foundation Means to Students, the College, and Industry
With the future in mind, The Barrett CTI is preparing students for the jobs of the future by providing them the tools and support to foster a passion for careers in STEM

What is the 21st Century going to look like? Some of the jobs of the future are not even in existence yet; but learning with the state-of-the art technologies available today will ensure that students are well-positioned for what is in store. 

It will be challenging to calculate the impact that The Barrett Family Foundation has had on students, the College, and industry in general. The philanthropy demonstrated by The Barrett Family Foundation sets a new bar for colleges across Canada. The Foundation recognized the importance of igniting a passion in students to pursue STEM careers and to provide relevant resources and support to help them achieve their goals.

All this complimenting industries who need skilled workers to fill in-demand jobs that require hands-on experience with science, technology, engineering, and mathematics training. These donations are not just a gift, they are an investment in the future of manufacturing and the communities where we live, work, and play. 

“Mr. Barrett has always been willing to open his doors. He’d say, ‘Neal, I will open my factories to provide tours for your students and faculty. I am also interested in providing exposure to students who are less fortunate. Bring them through.’ And if he can add some inspiration to someone, maybe it turns into an opportunity. That’s the way he thinks. He is just such an awesome person.”Neal Mohammed, Director, Barrett Centre for Technology Innovation

One thing is clear. This donation will ensure that the amazing work the Barrett CTI does will continue running for the next 15 years.

More Information

Barrett Centre for Technology Innovation

Related Articles


Changing Scene

  • Wesco Opens State-of-the-Art Facility in Eastern Canada to Support Influx of Megaprojects in the Region

    Wesco Opens State-of-the-Art Facility in Eastern Canada to Support Influx of Megaprojects in the Region

    Wesco International has recently announced the grand opening of a new state-of-the-art facility on Higney Avenue in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, Canada, making this the largest facility of any distributor in the Atlantic region. The new building, facilitated by Touchette Real Estate, a division of Groupe Touchette, will feature Wesco’s comprehensive suite of services and solutions including… Read More…

  • PataBid Nominated for Canadian Choice Award in Software Services

    PataBid Nominated for Canadian Choice Award in Software Services

    PataBid is proud to announce its nomination for a Canadian Choice Award in the Software Services category. This recognition highlights PataBid’s commitment to supporting the electrical contracting community across Canada by providing innovative estimating software solutions that streamline estimating processes and ensure predictable and profitable projects. Read More…


Sponsored Content
The Easy Way to the Industrial IoT

The way to the Industrial IoT does not have to be complicated. Whether access to valuable data is required or new, data-driven services are to be generated, Weidmuller enables its customers to go from data to value the easy way. Weidmuller’s comprehensive and cutting-edge IIoT portfolio applies to greenfield and brownfield applications. Weidmuller offers components and solutions from data acquisition, data pre-processing, data communication and data analysis.

Visit Weidmuller’s Industrial IoT Portfolio.


ADVANCED Motion Controls Takes Servo Drives to New Heights (and Depths) with FlexPro Extended Environment Product Line

Advanced Motion Controls is proud to announce the addition of six new CANopen servo drives with Extended Environment capabilities to their FlexPro line. These new drives join AMC’s existing EtherCAT Extended Environment FlexPro drives, making the FlexPro line the go-to solution for motion control applications in harsh environments.

Many motion control applications take place in conditions that are less than ideal, such as extreme temperatures, high and low pressures, shocks and vibrations, and contamination. Electronics, including servo drives, can malfunction or sustain permanent damage in these conditions.

Read More


Service Wire Co. Announces New Titles for Key Executives

Bruce Kesler and Mark Gatewood have been given new titles and responsibilities for Service Wire Co.

Bruce Kesler has assumed the role of Senior Director – Business Development. Bruce will be responsible for Service Wire’s largest strategic accounts and our growing Strategic Accounts Team.

Mark Gatewood has been promoted to the role of Vice President – Sales & Marketing. In this role, Gatewood will lead the efforts of Service Wire Company’s entire sales and marketing organization in all market verticals.

Read More


Tri-Mach Announces the Purchase of an Additional 45,000 sq ft. Facility

Tri-Mach Elmira Facility

Recently, Tri-Mach Inc. was thrilled to announce the addition of a new 45,000 sq ft. facility. Located at 285 Union St., Elmira, ON, this facility expands Tri-Mach’s capabilities, allowing them to better serve the growing needs of their customers.

Positioning for growth, this additional facility will allow Tri-Mach to continue taking on large-scale projects, enhance product performance testing, and provide equipment storage for their customers. The building will also be the new home to their Skilled Trades Centre of Excellence.

Read More


JMP Parent Company, CONVERGIX Acquires AGR Automation, Expanding Global Reach

Convergix Automation Solutions has completed the acquisition of AGR Automation (“AGR”), a UK-based provider of custom, high-performance automation design and systems integration primarily to the life sciences industry.

Following Convergix’s acquisitions of JMP Solutions in August 2021 and Classic Design in February 2022, AGR marks the third investment in Crestview’s strategy to build Convergix into a diversified automation solutions provider targeting the global $500+ billion market, with a particular focus on the $70 billion global systems integration and connectivity segments. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

Read More


Latest Articles

  • How Advanced X-Ray and AI Inspection Technologies Optimize Quality Control and Reduce Costs in SMT Manufacturing

    How Advanced X-Ray and AI Inspection Technologies Optimize Quality Control and Reduce Costs in SMT Manufacturing

    Explore how Omron’s latest X-Ray machines and AI-driven solutions are setting new standards in manufacturing efficiency and quality control. The manufacturing landscape is swiftly evolving, and Omron is at the forefront with its innovative PCB inspection machines. These systems offer profound insights into SMT production process, enhanced quality control, and can significantly reduce labor costs. Advancements… Read More…

  • KUKA Establishes New Software and Digital Business Segment

    KUKA Establishes New Software and Digital Business Segment

    Software is playing an increasingly important role in mechanical engineering. What used to be mostly solved mechanically is now done by electronics and the associated software. “With KUKA Digital, we are expanding our offering in order to position ourselves broadly for a market with strong growth potential. Our customers need products, solutions and consulting approaches to digitalize… Read More…