The Ontario government has announced an over $9 million investment to train 2,300 manufacturing and construction sector workers in Windsor-Essex.
The funding announced Monday by Premier Doug Ford includes a multi-million dollar investment to build a new training facility for local electrical workers through the Skills Development Fund.
The International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 773 will receive $5,511,476 in total funding to train over 600 new electrical workers, which includes a $4.7 million investment to build the new 24,000 square foot training centre in Windsor.
Karl Lovett, Business Manager for IBEW Local 773, says this will have a great impact on the area.
"The way the trades work right now is you have to get slotted into a time bank to get your government trade school taken care of," he says. "There's not always enough seats in the classroom to get that done. By us putting this facility together, we're going to take everybody else and the surplus people and hopefully get them trained and get them out into the workforce as fast as we can."
The IBEW currently has a 10,000-square-foot building off North Service Road East, which means they will train people in the current facility and in the new facility once it's constructed at the back of the property.
Lovett says this year they took in 36 apprentices because they don't have the facility to train any more.
"So how will it help us? We had over 450 applications from young men and women who wanted to be in an apprenticeship program, and we don't have the capacity to take care of them; we don't have the infrastructure behind us," he says.
"Windsor's only going to grow. Like Premier Ford said with the announcement of the acute care facility on County Road 42, that will take approximately 350 electricians and apprentices there four years to finish that project. 350. So the rest of the people will be down the highway, and if we need more, we're going to take in more," he says.
Monday's announcement also includes $3 million for the Ontario Vehicle Innovation Network (OVIN) to develop local training programs for approximately 1,500 auto sector workers in Windsor and across the province, with a focus on electric vehicle and battery development.
The funding includes setting up an Automotive Innovation Challenge for students at the University of Windsor and Ontario Tech University and enhancing the OVIN Learning Hub's capacity by adding a new job placement portal that will connect students with employers in their communities.
The International Association of Bridge and Ironworkers Local 700 is getting $512,836 to train and upskill at least 170 new ironworkers and apprentices, including investing in enhanced instructional equipment and technology.