In the News April 14

Government Handouts in the Name of “Greening the Economy”

Integration of Education with Needs and Demands of Global Oligarchy

The Windsor Star ran an article titled “Windsor’s post-secondary institutions preparing for industry needs for new battery plant.” The title and content of the article clearly indicate the role of education within the global empires of the oligarchy and how its cartels control, use and benefit from the social and economic value education brings to the economy.

The article highlights how the modern productive forces of industrial mass production and the global oligarchs who own and control those forces are the decision-makers in society. The people generally, and the working class in particular, play no role in deciding the economic, political and social affairs of society including education. Those are affairs that affect the lives of the people in a most profound way but over which the people have no control.

Within this state of affairs how can anyone speak of democracy? Without people exercising control over the economic, political and social affairs of the society and its institutions, what democracy exists? The global oligarchy owns and controls the productive forces and the main institutions of society. Democracy in these conditions can only mean a struggle for democratic renewal to build economic, political and social institutions that the people control.

Local Education Authorities Jump to Attention

As soon as the global cartel Stellantis and LG Energy Solution announced the construction of a $5 billion manufacturing campus in Windsor to produce batteries, the local ruling elite began falling over themselves as to how they could help with supplying educated workers and any other needs such as infrastructure and tax relief. Of course all this may have been promised long before any public announcement was made.

The Star writes, “Representatives from St. Clair College, the University of Windsor and Invest WindsorEssex will meet virtually next week with the head of LG Energy Solution human resources to discuss the types of programs and skill sets the giant south Korean firm needs to staff its joint venture battery plant in Windsor with Stellantis.

“Officials from both post-secondary institutions said they expect the $5-billion plant will have a transformative impact on their programming, infrastructure and research and development opportunities.

“‘The university and college need to understand what skills the company is looking for to build the programming needed to support them,’ said Invest WindsorEssex’s director of investment attraction Joe Goncalves. ‘Both institutions have been proactive in preparing programming to meet the emerging technology that not only LG, but the entire automotive and manufacturing sectors need.’

“Goncalves said there are more than 1,600 engineering students at the university and another 600 from St. Clair College that graduate each year that the companies hope to draw on.

“The firms will also be looking for graduates with expertise in areas such as the sciences, IT, business, logistics, law and international and government relations.

“The University of Windsor’s director of the Centre for Automotive Research and Education Peter Frise said the electrification of the industry requires the school to create new programming to equip students with the knowledge required for a new automotive era.”

The article continues, “Frise said virtually every faculty on campus will be touched by the need to introduce new courses or entire programs. He added, new spaces and labs will be needed and there are enormous research and development opportunities.”

The Star writes, “LG Energy Solutions director of external affairs and government relations Denise Gray said the company intends to be very proactive in engaging with the college and university on talent development. ‘LG and Stellantis and the universities working together to retrain some of our workforce,’ said Gray, (is) an example of what to expect. ‘I came from traditional internal combustion engine design work and many of us have retrained. We have committed to working with universities and post-secondary schools and skilled trades to support them in that transition. [ ] Goncalves added, … ‘What better way to create new programming aimed at the future needs of manufacturing and technology than to be able to ask LG exactly what talent and skill sets are required?’

“St. Clair’s senior vice president-academic and college operations Waseem Habash said the college has identified 13 to 15 programs in the electrification and autonomous vehicles field that are needed in the next three to eight years.

“‘We’re already working on new programming for battery technology and the AI (artificial intelligence) that’ll be used,’ Habash said. ‘We’re aligning with industry needs.'”

“New programming in EV and batteries will be ready in the fall of 2023 while a cybersecurity program will be launched this fall. There are plans to offer micro credentials to upskill graduates or engineers and mechanics already working in the field.

“Habash said the college is well down the path on hiring staff with the expertise to develop and teach new programming and has begun partnering with the newly opened Flex-Ion Battery and Innovation Centre on research projects.”

The article concludes, “Habash said the college has also applied for several government grants to allow it to build new infrastructure to support the program expansions. ‘We’ve got to be ready to fill the talent pipeline just before the rush of jobs comes,’ Habash said. ‘We expect that to be late 2024 early 2025. We’ll be right there with our graduates.'”

Workers’ Forum, posted April 14, 2022.