The partnership between Accelerate Auto and Ontario Vehicle Innovation Network (OVIN) is accelerating opportunities for diverse talent in the automotive industry.
In Ontario’s automotive and mobility sector, 27 per cent of the sector’s workforce is comprised of visible minorities, with only 4 per cent of the total workforce being Black. Accelerate Auto, a not-for-profit coalition of Black professionals wants that to change.
Their mission is to advance career opportunities for Black people in the auto industry while tackling the systemic racism that is hampering progress. Their work involves actively promoting the automotive and mobility industry to Black talent in high schools and post-secondary schools, collaborating with educational institutions, connecting students to scholarships and mentorship opportunities, advocating for greater equity in the sector to industry groups and employers and more.
As their name suggests — Accelerate Auto is calling for action to happen faster. Not in a decade. Not next year. Now.
The Ontario Vehicle Innovation Network (OVIN), the flagship initiative from
the government of Ontario, led by the Ontario Centre of Innovation (OCI) agrees — and has partnered with Accelerate Auto on direct engagement events to increase younger student awareness and ramp up opportunities for the next generation of diverse talent.
“It’s vital for the workforce of the future to see themselves in those that currently occupy the auto industry, so they know that it is a viable career aspiration,” says Shannon Miller, Strategic Partnerships Project Lead for OVIN.
Overall, the goal of a more diverse automotive workforce is to be reflective of the customer base it serves. Because to drive home a brighter future for all, everyone needs access to the front seat.
Learn more, visit OVINhub.ca and oc-innovation.ca
