New mobility era: NFI launches electrical technician training program

NFI Group Inc. has launched its Electrical Technician Training Program (ETTP). A program to provide high-demand electrical skills as industry EV adoption surges. The ETTP is a program encompassing classroom and on-the-job training and providing employees with knowledge and skills to continue leading and supporting zero-emission adoption across North America. The program is intended for expansion and launch across NFI’s other major manufacturing facilities in future.

More skills for electric vehicle industry

The purpose of the ETTP is to provide entry level training for new employees, to help existing employees upskill and reskill through the industry’s accelerating transition to zero-emission propulsion and the increased demand for advanced zero-emission bus manufacturing, and to serve as a skills development pipeline to help employees reach the Senior Electrical Technician role. It includes five preparatory modules and two levels of training. Training levels include “Red” and “Blue”, respectively indicating Electrical Technician 1 and Electrical Technician 2, which are earned upon training completion.

«Ultimately, the ETTP launch in Minnesota serves as a model for development and implementation of like programs across our major manufacturing facilities. Program expansion is already underway and will roll out later this year and throughout 2022. This program is timely and exciting for our team and the industry as a whole – directly meeting workforce development needs and developing critically-needed skills to enable the new mobility era», said Janice Harper, Executive Vice President, People and Culture, NFI.

«By the time an employee has fulfilled all program requirements, they will have completed 64 hours of classroom learning and over 3,600 hours of training on the job. This is in addition to the 150,000 hours of training completed annually across the New Flyer team. Continued learning is critical for advancing zero-emission deployment, which is why workforce development remains one of four important pillars in our mobility solutions offering», finally stated Chris Stoddart, President, North American Bus and Coach.