Tulmar Safety Systems Inaugurates Sewing Academy with First Graduating Cohort

Hawkesbury, ON – On Friday, Tulmar Safety Systems officially inaugurated its new Sewing Academy with its first graduating cohort, alongside a ribbon-cutting ceremony and open house, marking an important step in strengthening Canada’s defence manufacturing workforce.

The event celebrated the Academy’s founding cohort, who successfully completed an intensive four-week training program designed to develop the specialized sewing skills required for the company’s operations. The program concluded with a final evaluation to ensure each graduate meets Tulmar’s quality and performance standards. All graduates begin full-time roles starting today.

Tulmar’s Sewing Academy was established to address a growing shortage in the needle trades in Canada, particularly in defence. The initiative also supports the company’s continued growth across Canadian and international aviation and defence markets, with major contracts ahead.

As Canada reinforces its commitments to NATO and continues to expand its defence manufacturing capabilities, initiatives like Tulmar’s Sewing Academy play a critical role in building the skilled workforce needed to support this growth.

“This initiative is about more than training; it’s about building capability here in Canada,” said Lori Morris, Vice-President of Operations at Tulmar Safety Systems. “Instead of hoping we’d find enough people with those skills [industrial sewing], we made a decision to build them, we made a decision to invest in people from our community and create the talent we need to support our customers and our mission.”

As a Canadian-owned manufacturer serving defence, aviation, and civil safety markets, Tulmar produces engineered protective equipment proudly made in Canada. Through the Tulmar Sewing Academy, the company is strengthening domestic production, building its workforce, and reinforcing the resilience of the Canadian defence supply chain.

On Friday, employees and community members visited the Academy to learn about the training process and the equipment used to prepare graduates for life at Tulmar. Tulmar plans to continue running the Sewing Academy, with the next cohort scheduled for June, further expanding its skilled workforce and supporting the growth of Canadian defence manufacturing.