Rock Valley College continues electric vehicle program as the need for trained workers rises | News
The program received a $400,000 state grant earlier this year.
The program received a $400,000 state grant earlier this year.
ROCKFORD, Ill (WREX) — Rock Valley College continues to educate students in the field of electric vehicle maintenance as more alternative cars and trucks hit the roads.
The school, which received a $400,000 grant earlier this year, is currently ending its third semester teaching courses dedicated to E.V. maintenance.
Ethan Jacobson, a student at Rock Valley College, is finishing his his courses and is grateful for the base skills he has learned.
“Not everywhere has the tools and not everyone has the training and I definitely think it’s very important,” Jacobson said.
These skills are more important than ever Mark Lankford, the Service Director at Hamblock Ford in Belvidere said.
“Obviously, I push for all of my technicians to become E.V. Certified for a lot of reasons. When you do have the opportunity to work on one of these, A, you need to know what you’re doing but B, there’s a safety factor,” Lankford said.
Jacobson currently works at Rockford Mass Transit District, using the skills he’s learned in the program even before graduation.
“I came in as just a bus fueler, nothing too crazy, nothing too special, and within a couple months I asked them to move me to mechanic helper,” Jacobson said.
When it comes to Rock Valley College’s program, Lankford said education in the growing industry is beneficial as jobs continue to open up.
“Any knowledge of an EV vehicle I think is great and knowing kind of what they are and what they’re about. And once you have that knowledge and if you decide to get into a career such as this, we can then expand it that much further,” Lankford said.
Jacobson sees the skills he’s learned as a big benefit, excited to see what he is able to accomplish with what he’s learned.
“I really think it is and I really think it’s a great opportunity to get in and got my foot in the door and I think it will take me places,” Jacobson said.
With the industry continuing to grow, Rock Valley College said now is the time to ensure students are prepared for what’s to come.
“Students are starting to see some of the full electric vehicles come into their shops as well for basic maintenance and so we really we want to stay ahead of the game. We want to have them trained, ready, before they see that vehicle and not try to be reactive later after they’ve seen it,” John Skupien, the Associate Professor of Automotive Service Technology said.
Rock Valley College also hopes to get more students into the program, offering another semester of it this fall and planning for a future evening course option.
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