Toronto, Ontario — The Ontario government has announced that it is appointing Dave Cassidy, former President of Unifor Local 444, as a Skilled Trades Special Advisor (STSA) to the Minister of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development.
According to a recent press release, in his new role, Cassidy will “assess the workforce needs in Ontario’s skilled trades, focusing on the manufacturing and automotive industries, including electric vehicles (EVs).”
As a Skilled Trades Special Advisor, Cassidy will also reportedly “work to ensure Ontario is well positioned to respond to the rapid development and expansion of (Ontario’s) manufacturing and automotive sectors.”
The announcement further noted that Cassidy’s “expert advice will be complemented by ongoing and robust stakeholder consultations which will serve to identify issues, challenges and areas of improvement within Ontario’s skilled trades and apprenticeship system.”
“Ontario’s future is bright and skilled trades workers are a vital part of that future,” said David Piccini, Minister of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development. “Our government has attracted $43 billion in investments in advanced manufacturing, including automakers and EVs. As these sectors grow, we need to prepare our skilled trades workforce for the jobs of today and tomorrow, and that begins with finding out where those jobs are and how we can build a talent pathway to fill them.”
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