Students at a local Catholic secondary school are now getting hands-on training in electric vehicles.
St. Anne Catholic High School in Lakeshore has become the first Canadian high school to receive an electric vehicle kit.
John Ulicny, executive superintendent at the Windsor-Essex Catholic District School Board, said the kit is the first step in preparing students for a possible career in Windsor-Essex's budding EV industry.
"With the impending opening of the new NextStar Energy battery plant, and all of the associated jobs there, and in related sectors, we felt this was the perfect time to start providing our students with the hands-on practical knowledge they’ll need to find employment in the electric vehicle industry," said Ulicny.
Each semester, senior students will assemble the car, learning about the components and structure of the vehicle the whole time. Once finished, the car will then be disassembled and prepped for the next semester,
Dawn Herdman, St. Anne's science department chair, has incorporated lessons about the kit and electric vehicles into the curriculum.
"In the Grade 9 electricity unit, for instance, all of the exercises around calculating voltage, current, and resistance are in the context of an electric vehicle," said Herdman. "In Grade 10 chemistry and biology, we’ve incorporated lessons around electro-chemistry, climate change, and how the electric vehicle sector can be a part of the solution. It’s really all about getting them ready to move into the jobs of the future in this rapidly growing sector."
The vehicle kit has also caught the attention of Joe Araujo, COO of NextStar Energy.
"This is a wonderful initiative, and it’s helping students acquire the knowledge and skills they’ll need to find meaningful employment in a truly transformative industry," said Araujo.
A media event was held at the school on Thursday to demonstrate how the kit will be used in the classroom.