The Ottawa Mission’s Maintenance Services Training Program Grows, Graduating 10 People into New Building Superintendent Careers

Ottawa, ON – Today, The Ottawa Mission celebrated the graduation of the third cohort of students from its burgeoning Maintenance Services Training Program (MSTP), a free work-based learning program that provides instruction and hands-on training for students to become building superintendents upon graduation.

All 10 of today’s graduates have been hired out of the program into new jobs as building superintendents or maintenance technicians.

As a no-barrier, job training program founded in 2025, the MSTP provides people who are experiencing homelessness or are at risk of homelessness with the skills necessary to obtain stable, gainful employment.

“The program is built around work-based learning. With the help of volunteer instructors from program partners, our staff provides the hands-on training that prepares students for the real-life experiences they will encounter as building superintendents. Students learn minor repairs and maintenance in plumbing, electrical, carpentry, drywalling, and painting, receive janitorial training, obtain fire safety and WHMIS certifications, and more” noted Andy Higgs, Manager of Construction and Maintenance at The Ottawa Mission and a leader in running the MSTP.

The MSTP is modelled on the very successful Food Services Training Program (FSTP), another job training program successfully run by The Mission, which provides graduates with the training and confidence to work in a commercial kitchen. Launched in 2004, over 500 students have graduated from the FSTP into new careers and lives in the food service industry.

“We are thrilled with the growth of this new program. Today’s graduating class is double the size of our first cohort,” stated Ottawa Mission CEO Peter Tilley. “By offering a no-barrier job training program like the MSTP, we are extending a hand to lift vulnerable people up and out of poverty and homelessness. It’s been amazing to see what these students have accomplished over the past 5 months.”

The class valedictorian for this cohort is Ganiyu Alade Raji, who immigrated to Canada from Nigeria to seek a better life for his young family. He was a researcher and lecturer in the sociology field in Nigeria. Ganiyu is thankful that the MSTP has unlocked a career for him that will support his young family.

“The MSTP has restored hope for me. It has given me the skills I need to confidently do the job of a building superintendent or maintenance worker. I feel like my future is bright because of this program. My wife is so proud of me. I have unlocked a career path that will not only support our family, but also her own pursuit of her career goals,” Ganiyu stated.

“To the supporters of this program and to The Ottawa Mission: we are so thankful for your help. You’ve not only created a program that provides impactful job training, but you’ve also created a fulsome system that provides an entire support network,” Ganiyu added. The Ottawa Mission gratefully acknowledges the financial support of the City of Ottawa, and many individual donors and corporate partners.

“Our incredibly generous donors and partners are the driving force that makes this program possible. Together, we’re enriching our community and providing solutions to poverty and homelessness. On behalf of our graduates, thank you so much,” Tilley concluded.

About The Ottawa Mission
Since 1906, The Ottawa Mission has been serving the homeless, the hungry and the lost by providing food, clothing, shelter and skills. In 2024-2025, The Ottawa Mission provided emergency shelter to an average of 187 men every night and served an average of 3,312 meals every day.  The Ottawa Mission also provides to men and women health services, mental health and addiction treatment programs, hospice care, dental services, housing services, educational support, job training, spiritual care, and clothing to thousands in need in our community. In September 2020, The Ottawa Mission marked the one millionth hour that the shelter has been in existence since its founding in 1906. In 2019, the Mission became a housing-focused shelter reflective of its commitment to a home for everyone as a human right with the launch of a new housing department.

FOR INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:
Aileen Leo
Director of Communications
T 613.234.1144 x 305
C 613.712.3092
aleo@ottawamission.com