TROY, N.Y. (WRGB) — Hudson Valley Community College, in collaboration with the New York Power Authority, has launched a new workforce training partnership aimed at equipping educators with the skills necessary to prepare students for careers in the electric vehicle (EV) sector.
This initiative, with the goal of “training the trainers,” seeks to enhance the knowledge of those leading certification programs in EV vehicle and charger maintenance and installation.
Dr. Chris McNally, professor and department chair of applied technologies at HVCC, highlighted the diverse backgrounds of participants entering the program. “When I look at some of my registered apprentices, I have people who are coming from restaurants. They’ve been cooks. They’ve been dishwashers and they see the opportunities in these fields and they want to be trained. So, we bring them in with minimal knowledge and we give them those fundamental skills that allow them to get into these industries that are going to grow,” said McNally.
The program aims to address the growing demand for skilled workers in various areas of the EV sector, including electrical work, battery and vehicle repair, and charger maintenance. HVCC senior Hayden Kothe emphasized the need for specialized training in charger repair, asking, “So you have automotive technicians that work on the cars and you have utility workers, electricians that work on the power grid, but who works on the chargers?”
The partnership, made possible through a grant from Electrify America, is expected to create more job opportunities in the burgeoning EV industry, aligning with the increasing presence of electric vehicles on local roads, from cars to buses.
