Ontario announces skills training funding for Windsor electricians

WINDSOR, ONT. – The Ontario government has announced it will spend $9 million to train 2,300 construction and manufacturing workers in Windsor including a $4.7-million contribution towards a new International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers training facility.

The spending brings Ontario’s total funding for training of Windsor workers through the Skills Development Fund (SDF) since 2021 to $15.6 million.

SDF Capital and Training funding will train 600 new electrical workers and build a new 24,000-square-foot training facility in Windsor. The contributions will also connect apprentices with employers.

“With its long history as a manufacturing powerhouse, Windsor is at the heart of our government’s plan to bring good-paying manufacturing jobs, including in the growing electric vehicle and battery sector, back to Ontario,” stated Premier Doug Ford in a release.

Included in the funding, a total of $512,000 will be spent through the SDF Training stream to train 170 new ironworkers with the International Association of Bridge and Ironworkers Local 700. There is also funding for the Ontario Vehicle Innovation Network.

Applications are open for the government’s fifth round of the SDF Training Stream with $260 million in available funding.