Background
Battery Boost is a workforce development program administered by Invest WindsorEssex (IWE) and delivered with support from NextStar Energy — Canada's first EV gigafactory and a $5 billion Stellantis-LG Energy Solutions joint venture in Windsor-Essex, Ontario. Running from February 2025 through early 2026, the program targeted laid-off workers and career changers seeking roles as Product and Process Technicians in battery manufacturing. More than $3.8 million in funding came from Upskill Canada, powered by Palette Skills with the backing of the Government of Canada.
IWE and Virtualware had already collaborated since 2023 on immersive technology for Canada's automobility sector, with VIROO integrated into the Automobility and Innovation Centre's custom VR lab before Battery Boost launched.
Deployment
Virtualware's VIROO platform delivers training through cloud-rendered WebXR across four headsets operating in purpose-built VIROO Rooms — full-scale, multi-user collaborative environments providing complete visual immersion. The curriculum, co-developed using NextStar Energy's proprietary production expertise, covers battery cell assembly, safety protocols, quality control, and production line operations — all designed to replicate the exact workflows and standards of the NextStar gigafactory floor. Instructors can guide multiple participants simultaneously in real time, enabling structured cohort learning without physical mock-ups or production-floor risk.
All training was delivered at the IWE Automobility and Innovation Centre, with 11 cohorts completing the program across the deployment period.
Outcomes
- 408+ participants completed the program
- 397 placed in full-time employment — a 97% placement rate
- $13,900 CAD average annual income increase per graduate
- 99% of graduates entered with no prior battery technician experience
- 96% reported program expectations were met
- 95% said they would recommend Battery Boost to a friend
- 96% expressed overall program satisfaction
Demand significantly exceeded initial projections: over 500 candidates applied within the first 24 hours of launch, with more than 2,500 total applications received across the program's run. Battery Boost's success has been cited alongside NextStar Energy's announcement to expand its Energy Storage System operations in Windsor-Essex, further anchoring the region in Canada's battery supply chain.
