AI disclosure statement: AI was used in the transcription of interviews that contributed to this article.
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Mohawk co-op students have been caught in the Stelco hiring freeze and told not to return to work at the Hamilton and Nanticoke factories.
“Unfortunately we were given the news that any co-op, millwright or electrical [student] could not return to Stelco because of the layoffs,” said Isiah Robinson, a manufacturing engineering technician student in the co-op stream at Mohawk College. As an industrial mechanic millwright, Robinson worked at Stelco as part of his co-op program. Despite his school being in Hamilton, Robinson lives in Simcoe and did his co-op at the Nanticoke factory.
Stelco, owned by U.S. based Cleveland-Cliffs announced this month they would be laying off 500 workers at the Hamilton and Nanticoke factory according to Oct 18. reporting by CBC.
Production is currently halted during the layoff, meaning co-ops do not need to come in, said Dennis Van Meer, the grievance chairperson for Hamilton’s USW Local 1005. Apprentices are also not being hired due to the hiring freeze.
Robinson said when he first heard about the layoffs he was worried, and reached out to the United Steelworkers union (USW) in his area, worried about his career security.
“I was only concerned really for my co-workers [and] what the future of my position there might look like, [and] if they would be willing to hire an apprenticeship either later on in the year or… if they’d be able to take me on after I graduated from my college program.”
Most of the electrical and millwright apprentices hired at the Nanticoke factory are from Mohawk College, said John McElroy, president of the Nanticoke USW Local 8782.Because of the freeze they’ll be unable to hire them once their co-op’s end. They typically hire eight to 10 millwrights and 10 electrical positions every year from their pool of apprentices, McElroy said.
“That will be a gap for us. So, that’s pretty substantial,” he said, explaining that this gap widens because Nanticoke is so far away from Hamilton where the college is based.
Typically, students from the school do a term before being sponsored to co-op at Stelco where they will get all of their practical hours. They return back to school to do theory class again, and if things pan out, they are hired on as an apprentice for the company, said Van Meer.
Despite the changes the company and he himself faces, Robinson remains optimistic. “The pain is only temporary, sometimes hard things occur for a little bit but lots of good things are to come afterwards.”
He also said students shouldn’t be worried if they’re willing to diversify. “Millwrights, [we’re] not stuck to one or two things. It’s so diverse to a point that you can be an expert in… virtually anything mechanically in an industrial environment.”
Robinson is thankful for the experiences he had while working at Stelco, saying the company helped prepare him well. He said he will be looking for co-op opportunities for his one year term in Norfolk County where he lives.
Up until this year, Stelco was regarded as a premium employer according to Mohawk College’s website.
“We are not in a position to provide any specific information about the potential impact of the recently announced changes at Stelco on Mohawk College students,” wrote Sean Coffey, director for communications and special events for Mohawk College in an emailed response to OTR.
“We recognize that job losses are difficult for employees, their families and the broader community. Mohawk College remains committed to supporting our students and working with employers to help provide meaningful co-op and work-integrated learning opportunities,” he wrote.
Reporter, OTR, F2026.
