Thousands of jobs coming to massive electric vehicle plant in St. Thomas

A billboard advertises jobs at an electric vehicle battery plant in St. Thomas.

A massive electric vehicle battery plant in St. Thomas is looking to Waterloo Region in its plan to hire as many as 3,000 people over the next few years.

“The strategy is to attract as many workers from southwestern Ontario as we can for the new jobs we’re creating,” said Norman Wickboldt, the Chief Human Resources Officer of PowerCo Canada.

Wickboldt said the company has already hired 250 employees with plans to add another 150 jobs by the end of the year.

The jobs range from engineers and chemists to IT professionals and other high-skilled positions.

“We intend to focus on construction over the coming months,” said Wickboldt. “That will include engineering jobs, sustainability roles and we also will start to hire our first round of shopfloor workers.”

PowerCo Canada is planning to break ground on its $7 billion facility in St. Thomas in the coming months.

The Volkswagen subsidiary company has launched their recruitment campaign with plans to expand their reach right across southwestern Ontario.

They’ve put up billboards across Waterloo Region, London, Windsor and along the 401 corridor to draw attention to the hiring blitz.

Company officials said the pay range will be very competitive.

“We’ve compared pay with a lot of advanced manufacturing competitors,” said Shuja Qadri, PowerCo Canada’s head of talent acquisition. “We have a robust package, including relocation and comprehensive benefits as well.”

While the company is looking to fill next-generation jobs, there will be other opportunities as well.

“There’s an assessment set up to provide training and growth for unskilled workers,” said Qadri. “We’re working with local community partners as well to make sure they have the skills needed to fill the gaps.”

The process has already begun to fill more than 50 jobs, with hundreds of roles expected to open this year and thousands more as the plant scales up.

The plant is set to open in 2027.