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Skills needs for workers in Ontario’s growing zero-emissions vehicles sector

Zero-emissions vehicles and battery manufacturing are growing sectors in Ontario. The province has attracted billions of dollars in investment from leading companies such as Stellantis and Volkswagen into communities like Windsor, London-St. Thomas and Kingston.Yet for the province to capture the full economic benefits of these investments, the workforce needs to be prepared to fill emerging roles.

For now, these new automotive plants offer more questions than answers: How ready are today’s automotive sector workers in these communities to fill emerging jobs? Will there be enough workers to fill all open roles? What new skills will workers need to learn? And what steps should governments, universities, colleges and technical colleges, unions, employers, and employment service providers take to position the workforce of the future for success?

In Collaboration with the Smart Prosperity Institute, we are publishing three reports that
aim to answer these questions. Our work is the product of a year-long research process involving quantitative analysis, surveys, interviews, and in-person workshops in communities around the province.

  1. Shifting gears: How Ontario’s push to manufacturing zero-emissions vehicles will impact
    the workforce     focuses on how skills and workforce needs will be influenced by changes
    in industries throughout the automotive and automotive parts manufacturing supply
    chain, driven by the transition to ZEVs.
  2. Future-proofing the automotive workforce: Supporting Ontario’s auto sector workers
    through the ZEV transition     details the barriers that workers could face at every stage of
    their careers as they look to join the sector and grow in their careers.
  3. Skills needs for zero-emissions vehicle and battery manufacturing in Ontario: Summary
    for policymakers     is a ten-page recap of the two reports’ major findings and key
    takeaways.

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