More than 1,000 Windsor-Essex students tested out the skilled trades by touring local manufacturing facilities as part of the 12th Annual Manufacturing Day. It’s also an opportunity for local employers to play a role in developing the next generation. From the classroom to the assembly line. “Hands-on experience gets them interested and actually gets them to learn better,” said Grade 9 teacher Isabelle Thamm. Grade 9 students from St. Joseph’s High School are touring Absolute Tool Technology to see if the skilled trades pique their interest. “AI is taking over. Like, I want a job that can help me in my future. Like that. That’s reliable in the future. So I think this job can be very reliable for years to go,” said Grade 9 student Nathan Alshamni. All while local employers see their future workforce. “We’ve already had two individuals retire with us this year. But they have been in the industry for over 40 years. And that’s what we’re starting to see is an older demographic of employees starting to retire. We need to backfill those positions,” said Denis Comartin, co-owner of Absolute Tool. According to Statistics Canada’s August 2026 Labour Force Survey, around 55,000 people are employed in manufacturing across the region. That’s a little over 22 per cent of the region’s entire workforce. “There are still so many labour gaps and shortages persistent in the industry. I think it’s really misrepresented how important these jobs are and the opportunities that they have available. And they pay,” said Mikal Fakhreddin with Invest Windsor Essex. Despite economic uncertainty with the U.S., most are remaining positive. “I think this war is going to go on for too long because at the end of the day, Canada and America are the biggest trading partners. I’m not worried about it. And I think after a bit of time, it’s all going to come to an end,” said Alshamni.
