Q: APMA has created a $7 million Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Fund. What is its purpose, and what has it accomplished?
A: Flavio Volpe, APMA president: The challenges of an aging work force in Canada’s automotive sector have heightened the importance of attracting, training and retaining new talent to expand a skilled work force. Barriers to labor market access, education and skills training have exacerbated this challenge.
In partnership with the government of Ontario, the APMA’s EDI Fund addresses the issue head-on. Our goal is to build attraction and develop a new talent pipeline that will construct pathways to historically underrepresented groups such as youth, women, persons with a disability and racialized communities. The EDI Fund will support employers and community partners in their efforts to access, train and retain meaningful employment for new hires.
To date, the fund has supported over 500 participants, with another 300 starting in the new year. The EDI Fund provides each employer with up to $8,000 to support attraction, retention, training, mentorship and mental health, transportation and health, safety and personal protective equipment. These provide on-the-job experience, upskilling and career development with the goal of each participant gaining a full-time position.