Dyar Hussain ‘16 was thinking about his post-secondary options when he remembered Mohawk College. As someone who moved to the city in 2007, he had heard many good things about the institution and decided to apply.

“I enjoy working with my hands and have always loved to see how things work, so the Industrial Mechanic (Millwright) program was a good choice for me,” he says.

One of Mohawk’s apprenticeship programs, the Industrial Mechanic Millwright program offers students in-school training led by experienced, licensed faculty and staff, state-of- the-art facilities and an efficient ”earn while you learn” training model that combines academics with on-the-job experience.

Aside from finding his passion within his academics, Dyar also enjoyed the journey towards his career and the help he had along the way.

“As a student, I looked forward to working as a millwright,” Dyar says. “I really appreciated the good teachers and mentors that I had.”

As he completed his apprenticeship, Dyar gained a fulfilling education through Mohawk during his three years. While in his program, he happened to secure a co-op placement with the company that would later give him the job he was working towards.

Dyar says, “I had a co-op placement at Stelco, which I really enjoyed. I worked in different departments and got to see how my education applied to real life work. This helped me to get a full-time position as a millwright with the company.”

As a Future Ready Premium Employer, Stelco partners with Mohawk in supporting the training of career-ready graduates by regularly welcoming students to complete their co-op and training placements. The company has representatives on three of Mohawk’s Program Advisory Committees to ensure programs continue to address industry skills requirements and has also gifted Mohawk with monetary donations towards student bursaries.

Dyar is one of the many Mohawk graduates who has gained a career through Mohawk’s co-op program and highly recommends it for future students’ success.

“Mohawk’s co-op program helps students to experience different professional opportunities and start your career,” he says.

Today, Dyar continues to grow in his chosen career with Stelco. He appreciates every day of work and the different challenges they bring.

“When a machine is not working, I enjoy problem-solving to figure out how to fix it,” he says. “It is nice to be able to work with my team to solve problems.”

For those who are looking to pursue a career in the millwright sector, Dyar has some advice.

“If you are someone who enjoys working with your hands, problem-solving and seeing new things every day, then the Millwright program is a good program for you.”