If the state is going to add as many electric vehicles as it intends in the coming years, then it certainly is going to need people who can maintain and repair them.
Brookdale Community College is aiming to fill that need.
On Tuesday, the STEM Institute and the Automotive Technology Department at Brookdale Community College announced the school will be infusing EV technology into their curricula so all “AUTO” graduates are versed in EV technology. They are also creating a stackable industry credential in EV technology for incumbent automotive professionals.
“With the help of federal Perkins funding, AUTO recently purchased a Chevy Spark that will be used in AUTO laboratories to demonstrate and teach EV fundamentals and practices,” STEM Dean James Crowder said.
Crowder and AUTO Department Chair Ivan Anderson also are seeking a $600,000 National Science Foundation – Advanced Technological Education grant to support AUTO’s EV endeavors, which include outreach to populations historically underrepresented in the automotive field.
In addition, Anderson and Crowder have recently been invited by the National Engineering and Vehicle Technology Exchange to apply for a role in Northwest Engineering and Vehicle Technology Exchange Track 3 Consortia for Innovations in Technician Education.
“This opportunity could provide the Brookdale AUTO Department with as much as an additional $125,000 for EV training and technology,” Crowder said.
NEVTEX is working with 30 industry and community college partners to create a standardized approach for training and certifying electric-drive vehicle technicians. Project leaders hope the standards will eventually lead to a licensing process for these highly skilled automotive technicians.
