Toronto, ON — Students looking to start a career in the skilled trades can start applying for the Richard McKeagan scholarship series, which will hand out over $20,000 in scholarships.
Run by the Mechanical Contractors Association of Canada (MCAC), the series helps lead post-secondary graduates and undergraduates toward a career in the mechanical trades. Eligible students will have until Sept. 1 to apply.
Basic eligibility requirements for the Richard McKeagan Scholarship Series state that eligible applicants:
- Must have a connection between the applicant’s studies and the mechanical contracting industry.
- Must be a Student Chapter Member or child/ward of a salaried employee of MCAC member company (company needs to be a member for at least one year)
- Must be enrolled in a full-time post-secondary program leading to a degree, certificate, or diploma from an accredited Canadian university, college or apprenticeship program, with a minimum “B” average for the previous year.
Funding for the series is provided through several sponsors. The 2023 series will see 13 sponsors provide funding for the following scholarships:
Bradford White Canada (field of study: mechanical contracting; scholarship amount: $1,500),
RJ (Bob) Evans Memorial Scholarship—sponsored by OS&B (fields of study: mechanical trade or plumbing; scholarship amount $3,000),
Federated Insurance (field of study: mechanical contracting; scholarship amount: $1,000)
Richard “Dick” Palser Memorial Scholarship sponsored by Palser Enterprises (field of study: mechanical contracting, tools; scholarship eligibility: southern Ontario residences; scholarship amount: $1,500 towards tools)
Masco/Delta (field of study: mechanical engineering; scholarship amount: $1,500)
MCA Canada Associate Members (field of study: mechanical contracting; scholarship amount: $2,000)
MCA Hamilton Niagara (scholarship eligibility: women; field of study: mechanical construction, construction management, mechanical engineering, architectural engineering, or a discipline related to mechanical service or plumbing contracting; scholarship amount: $1,000)
Mitsubishi Electric Sustainability Award for Mechanical Engineering (field of study: mechanical engineering; scholarship eligibility: write an essay in 500 words or less on how to make designs more in line with sustainability goals with respect to mechanical systems; scholarship amount: $2,000)
RWC Canada’s Michael Williams Scholarship (field of study: mechanical contracting, engineering, business management, or computer science; scholarship amount: $1,250. Two additional Michael Williams Scholarships for plumbing apprentices, worth $1,250)
Taco Comfort Solutions—WIC Scholarship (scholarship eligibility: women; field of study: mechanical construction management, mechanical engineering, architectural engineering, or a discipline related to mechanical service or plumbing contracting; scholarship amount: $1,000)
Taco Comfort Solutions—Mechanical Contracting/Engineering Scholarship (field of study: mechanical contracting, engineering, business management, or computer science; two scholarships worth amount: $1,000 each)
Uponor (scholarship eligibility: female students; field of study: business programs related to the construction industry, particularly the mechanical field; scholarship amount: $2,500—five scholarships worth $500)
Watts Water Technologies (scholarship eligibility: women or indigenous apprentice; field of study: business management; scholarship amount: $1,500)
Women in Mechanical Construction (field of study: female apprentice; scholarship amount: $1,000)
Named after Richard McKeagan, a former CEO of MCAC, the scholarship targets students interested in joining the mechanical contracting industry. In partnership with the Construction Education Council (CEC) and the MCAC Associate Members, the scholarship has awarded more than $60,000 to students since 2006.