A Battery of Opportunities: Carroll’s New Electric Vehicle Training Program

Electric vehicles (EV) are charging up the auto market and now Carroll Community College can help you plug into this growing industry. The exciting and in-demand career of EV mechanics is here with our new hybrid/electric vehicle training program.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, nearly 68,000 new mechanic positions are slated to open each year until 2032. And with a steadily increasing number of hybrid and electric vehicles set to supply this work for eager technicians, the profession boasts great earnings potential.

At the forefront of new job trends as always, Carroll has committed to providing this comprehensive and affordable training opportunity. The 90-hour Hybrid/Electric Vehicle Technician program is now open for registration for Fall 2024, at a cost that can be recouped in fewer than two weeks of fulltime work.

If you’re unemployed or underemployed and you’re looking for a career change, here’s a great industry to get into.

An Awarding Venture

Supported by $250,000 in grant money from the Rural Maryland Council, the College will boast a newly updated automotive learning center, replete with the latest training equipment. This will include brake and suspension trainer machines for the entire Auto Technician program, and an EVAP trainer apparatus for the Hybrid/Electric Vehicle Technician program.

Adding more fuel to the EV Program, Carroll’s Business Solutions and Small Business Development Center (SBDC) representatives Amy Yingling, Bryan Laing, Angelica Carter and Kelly Koermer recently garnered a $12,000 “Pitch for the Skilled Trades” award. These monies will be put towards the purchase of essential Advanced Driving Assistance Systems (ADAS) simulators for Carroll’s ADAS-based L4 certification program, launching in the near future. The ADAS simulators will allow program participants to practice on the high-tech calibration of different makes of newer electric vehicle automated driving systems.

Koermer, Carroll’s Vice President of Continuing Education & Training, highlighted that this award “doesn’t just benefit students—it sparks the ignition for local small automotive repair businesses, powering them with the skilled workforce they need to thrive in a rapidly evolving industry.”

The Nuts and Bolts

The Hybrid/Electric Vehicle Technician training program is designed for both current auto technician students and experienced mechanics alike. However, prospective applicants must have proficiency in the electrical systems of standard light duty vehicles, commensurate with the Automotive Electrical Systems course currently offered at Carroll as part of its Auto Technician certificate program, which also covers other standard procedures such as repairing steering and brake systems, as well as checking fluids, changing oil and rotating tires.

While the Auto Technician program is geared towards novice mechanics, the hybrid/electric vehicle training program caters to professional mechanics, and the ADAS training is for those seeking to gain an even greater edge in the growing electric vehicle market. As Auto Technician Training Program Manager Jeremy Roop explains, successful participants will already have some experience in auto repair and maintenance. “They have the knowledge of a car, they have the ins and outs, they have the feel… and now they’re trying to take it to the next level.”

Carroll’s hybrid/electric vehicle training program will focus on servicing battery-powered engines, preparing technicians to sit for both the ASE Engine Performance (A8) and the ASE Light Duty Hybrid/Electric Vehicle Specialist (L3) exams. Overall, trainees will be qualified in the diagnosis of battery systems and power electronics, as well as safety protocols in hybrid and electric light duty vehicle maintenance.

An Energized Partnership

The influence of the Hybrid/Electric Vehicle Technician training program extends beyond the students, as it also benefits the larger Carroll County business community. Its inception involved the creation and consultation of an advisory board of national automakers and local automotive shops. Not only is this new program the only one of its kind among all colleges in the state and region, it’s comprehensive enough to be the training center for those same local auto industry professionals who will educate the EV mechanics of tomorrow right here in our county.

“We had a lot of great feedback from Toyota as well as aftermarket shops [saying] that this is the future,” said Amy Yingling.

Koermer explained that the creation of Carroll’s hybrid/electric vehicle training program was about “nurturing dreams, fueling innovation, and driving our community towards a sustainable and electric future.” To this end, the SBDC is currently working with 72 of Maryland’s estimated 1,100 aftermarket auto repair shops to help them integrate EV services into their offerings.

An In-Demand Career

Carroll’s hybrid/electric vehicle training program initiative enriches our local community by providing innovative training to job seekers, a qualified workforce for local auto businesses and up-to-date services to consumers adapting to an evolving high-tech industry.

With this short-term training program, “we can meet the basic needs of our community and our economic system,” said Roop. “If you’re unemployed or underemployed and you’re looking for a career change, here’s a great industry to get into.” Indeed, the positive outlook for Carroll’s EV program graduates finding employment in local auto shops makes the enterprise good for Carroll County as a whole.