Price Family Foundation, Government of Canada and Province of Manitoba partner with Red River College Polytechnic on Institute dedicated to advancing global competitiveness of Manitoba manufacturers

June 28, 2023, Winnipeg, Manitoba, on Treaty No. 1 Territory and the Homeland of the Red River Métis

It began as a conversation between Red River College Polytechnic (RRC Polytech) and Dr. Gerry Price, Chairman & CEO, Price Industries Limited, in spring of 2021. RRC Polytech has long been a leader in talent development and innovation, and regularly consults with industry partners for advice on where each sector is heading. In this conversation, Dr. Price asked the question: how can we work together to advance the sector?

The journey to the answer – spanning two years of deep conversations with industry, government, and other stakeholders – sets the stage for today’s announcement of the Price Institute of Advanced Manufacturing and Mechatronics.

Anchored by a $10 million gift from the Price Family Foundation – the largest in RRC Polytech’s history – the Price Institute is supported with more than $3 million from the Government of Canada and $4.86 million from the Province for capital, program development, as well as ongoing operating costs. In support of RRC Polytech’s In Front of What’s Ahead comprehensive campaign, these three gifts bring the campaign closer to its $60 million goal, with a current total of $51.5 million raised to date.

Today’s $17.86 million investment in the Price Institute will allow RRC Polytech to bridge critical skills and labour gaps in the sector, spur applied research activities within the sector’s many small-to medium-enterprise (SME) employers and foster an innovation ecosystem where industry-education partnerships shift the technologies disrupting the sector from threats to opportunities.

“As Manitoba’s polytechnic, RRC Polytech is strongly positioned to partner with stakeholders and help usher in a new era of opportunity for one of Manitoba’s most-valued economic sectors,” says Fred Meier, RRC Polytech President and CEO. “We are expanding training opportunities and applied research in manufacturing, and it is only possible because of the vision and the commitment of Dr. Gerry Price and the Price Family Foundation, as well as the support of the Government of Canada and the Province of Manitoba.”

The Manitoba chapter of Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters (CME) recently reported that it had 2,130 job vacancies in the third quarter of 2022, citing a shortage of advanced skills that are not currently being trained in the Province. The Price Institute of Advanced Manufacturing and Mechatronics will directly respond to the skills shortage by training new workers, as well as upskilling and reskilling existing workers.

Scheduled for a phased launch beginning in Fall 2023, the Institute features a range of new programs and firsts for RRC Polytech, including:

• Two, post-graduate diplomas (one in advanced manufacturing, one in mechatronics) that boost the annual graduate output of RRC’s engineering technology programs by 150 per cent.
• A project space to drive innovation and technology transfer in automation and manufacturing for SMEs and facilitate student-led research activities.
• Flexible, micro-credentialing options to upskill and reskill up to 1,000 employees each year, including Western Canada’s first offering of the internationally recognized and accredited Siemens Mechatronics Systems Certification Program (Levels I and II), which kickstarts phase one of the Institute launch this fall.
• Manitoba’s first Applied Research Chair in Advanced Manufacturing.

The transformational gift from the Price Family Foundation continues their legacy of student-focused support at RRC Polytech. Ahead of today’s announcement, Dr. Price and Barb Price also renewed the Price Scholarships at RRC Polytech for another five years – removing a critical barrier many students pursuing education in engineering technology-focused fields face.

“No matter the enterprise, the foundation of Manitoba’s success – past, present, and future – is its people,” says Dr. Gerry Price, Chairman and CEO, Price Industries Limited. “The more you create access to education opportunities, the more you empower the innovator that dwells within us all. This is an investment in Manitoba’s future learners and future leaders, which will have lasting benefits for generations to come.”

With donor support poised to remove barriers to education for generations of students, the Government of Canada’s $3 million investment supported by Prairies Economic Development Canada (PrairiesCan) will be used to prepare the space for students and to develop and deliver curriculum over the next three years.

“Investments in training and skills development will ensure Manitoba remains a leader in advanced manufacturing and will inspire the next generation of the workforce. Our government recognizes the importance of strengthening key clusters and industry priorities starting with training and education. This funding from PrairiesCan will assist in the development of critical workforce skills through the Price Institute of Advanced Manufacturing and Mechatronics,” says The Honourable Dan Vandal, Minister for PrairiesCan and Member of Parliament for Saint Boniface-Saint Vital

The Province focused its investment on funding capital, start-up, and development costs related to the Institute’s academic program, as well as its ongoing operating costs.

 “As we work to integrate more and more digital technologies into manufacturing products and processes, there’s a complementary need for highly-trained and skilled workers to ensure the sector’s success,” says the Honourable Sarah Guillemard, Minister of Advanced Education and Training for the Province of Manitoba. “The Manitoba government is pleased to provide ongoing support for Red River College Polytechnic’s new Price Institute of Advanced Manufacturing and Mechatronics to deliver the sophisticated training needed by Manitoba’s manufacturing workforce.”

The Province’s $4.86 million investment will support emerging technology, training for students, and provides RRC Polytech with increased capacity to train industry 4.0 professionals.

“Manufacturing is integral to Manitoba’s economy, with 7,900 job openings expected over the next five years,” says the Honourable Jeff Wharton, Minister of Economic Development, Investment and Trade for the Province of Manitoba. “Equipping workers with the skills for these in-demand jobs will ensure a steady workforce to keep pace with our economic growth, and allow manufacturers to adopt the technologies essential to building and sustaining their businesses.”

Headquartered in the Skilled Trades and Technology Centre at RRC Polytech’s Notre Dame Campus, the Institute will leverage the College’s wealth of teaching and research expertise, as well as the more than $35 million of cutting-edge equipment housed within its Smart Factory and Technology Access Centre for Aerospace and Manufacturing (TACAM).

More information can be found at rrc.ca/priceinstitute