JBS Canada to provide funding for automation training at Medicine Hat College Brooks campus

By MEDICINE HAT NEWS on February 14, 2023.

https://www.medicinehatnews.com@MedicineHatNews

JBS Canada will provide $250,000 to deliver automation training at the Brooks campus of Medicine Hat College.

Officials from the college and the multinational food company made the announcement late Friday, stating the move is the latest collaboration between the two partners.

Last July, the company announced it planned to spend $71 million to fully automate its boxed warehouse operation at the plant in Brooks, which employs about 2,700 employees in total.

At that time, JBS told the News the warehouse handles about 85,000 containers of beef each year, each weighing 110 pounds. Scheduled upgrades there will eventually see a one pallet loaded every 30 seconds using robotic technology.

The new $250,000 grant will provide job skills training to JBS employees and the general community in the automation field, to “gain new skill or enhance career opportunities.”

“Over the years JBS has supported scholarships for students and new pathways to continuing education,” said college president Kevin Shufflebotham. “Today, we celebrate new training opportunities for the region.”

The program will cover electrical and motor systems, operations and maintenance.

“We’ve done multiple collaborations with MHC, with multiple programs,” said JBS Global president David Colwell, who was on hand at the announcement in Brooks. “We’ve got ideas as the plant continues to change and we’re bringing those ideas here to develop something together.”

The contribution comes from the JBS Hometown Strong program.

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