The recent rise of electric vehicles has led Stark State College to expand offerings in the fairly new industry — the latest is a 75-hour class that capstones the Automotive Technology Program. The class is expected to be available for the spring 2025 semester. “You look around on the road and electric vehicles are here,” said Mike Conway, chair of the Automotive and Transportation Technology department at the college. “They’re here. And we need to be able to work on them.” The new initiative is supported by a grant of $613,759 from the National Science Foundation.The three primary objectives of the grant are to expand the college’s automotive technology program to better prepare students for careers in electric vehicle maintenance, provide resources for Stark State to collaborate with other colleges and industry stakeholders to improve Ohio’s automotive workforce, and hire a specialist to help with student recruitment, retention and career placement. Conway believes the program will help Stark State students leave the classroom prepared to obtain their industry certifications and enter a career in the growing electric vehicle sector. Program leaders will develop a “recruitment and engagement plan that links women, minorities, and low-income students to [electric vehicle] career paths,” according to the grant’s abstract. “There are definitely huge opportunities and we hope to expand our outreach to make sure we’re including them from the opportunities in the industry,” Conway said. Rep. Emilia Sykes (D-OH) Sykes said in a press release more than 12,000 electric vehicle jobs are projected to arrive in Ohio by 2030. “Thanks to investments made by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the electric vehicle industry in Ohio is growing rapidly,” Sykes said in the press release. “The Electric Vehicle Technician Training program will provide students with the skills they need to take advantage of these good-paying, in-demand jobs, all while ensuring Ohio can continue to be a leader in the [electric vehicle] industry.”The post Stark State receives grant to create electric vehicle technician program appeared first on Signal Akron.First published by Signal Akron.