New Report Highlights Workforce Training Needs to Support Canada’s Transition to Electric School Buses
Electric school buses are playing an increasingly important role in reducing greenhouse gas emissions, improving air quality, and creating healthier transportation systems for students and communities across Canada. As adoption accelerates, a new report from Pollution Probe, developed in collaboration with Mobility Futures Lab, and funded by the Future Skills Centre (FSC) through the Government of Canada’s Future Skills Program, highlights the importance of ensuring that workforce training systems evolve alongside the technology.
Titled Amped Up: Upskilling Canada’s Heavy-Duty Vehicle Mechanics to Support the Transition to Electric School Buses, the report examines how the shift from diesel to electric school buses is transforming maintenance practices and identifies key gaps in technician training, certification pathways, and workforce readiness.
“The adoption of electric school buses offers a strong opportunity to advance healthier transportation systems and strengthen community wellbeing” said Melissa DeYoung, CEO of Pollution Probe. “As deployment continues to grow, it’s essential that workforce training systems evolve alongside the technology so technicians and fleets are prepared to support the transition and benefit from emerging opportunities in the low-carbon transportation sector.”
The report draws on stakeholder interviews with Canadian fleets, an inventory of existing Canadian training initiatives, and a review of electric school bus maintenance best practices. The findings point to the transition to electric school buses requiring technicians to develop new competencies in high-voltage safety, battery diagnostics, power electronics, and charging infrastructure management.
“The transition to a low-carbon economy requires not only new technologies, but also the skills to support their effective adoption,” said Noel Baldwin, Executive Director of the Future Skills Centre. “This report provides valuable insights into how workforce development can keep pace with the electrification of transportation systems.”
Key findings include:
- High-voltage safety and electrical diagnostics represent a fundamental shift from traditional diesel maintenance
- Training opportunities remain fragmented, with limited standardized and portable certification pathways
- Access to training varies significantly across regions and fleet sizes
- Charging infrastructure introduces new operational and maintenance responsibilities beyond the vehicle itself
The report outlines a set of recommendations for federal and provincial governments, training institutions, and industry stakeholders to strengthen workforce readiness. These include integrating electric vehicle content into core trade curricula, expanding modular upskilling programs for in-service technicians, and developing more consistent certification pathways.
As electric school bus deployment continues to grow across Canada, coordinated workforce development will play an important role in supporting cleaner transportation systems, strengthening technical capacity, and preparing workers for emerging opportunities in the low-carbon economy.
The full report is available HERE.
Pollution Probe | http://www.pollutionprobe.org
Mobility Futures Lab | https://mobilityfutureslab.ca/
Future Skills Centre | https://fsc-ccf.ca/