Electric vehicles are changing the automotive industry, and ACC students are getting more opportunities to train with the technology powering that change.
ACC received more than $330,000 from the Texas Workforce Commission’s Jobs and Education for Texans (JET) Grant Program to expand hands-on training in battery-electric vehicles and fleet maintenance. The funding will help ACC add industry-standard equipment and technology so students can practice with the same tools and systems they’ll encounter in the automotive workforce.
Train With the Technology Used in the Field
As automotive technology evolves, technicians need new skills to work with electric vehicles, advanced systems, and modern fleet equipment. The new equipment will give ACC students more opportunities to:
- Get hands-on experience with battery-electric vehicle technology
- Train with industry-standard automotive equipment
- Apply classroom lessons to real-world automotive systems
- Build skills for careers in automotive technology and fleet maintenance
- Prepare for emerging careers as transportation technology continues to evolve
“The program really shows that electric vehicles are something that’s kind of growing in popularity among consumers, even in fleets. So when a new vehicle like a hybrid or an EV does come to a shop that you work at, it’s nothing new to you. It’ll be like muscle memory,” said Avery Herrera, ACC Automotive Technology student. “It’s something that you will know how to work on, and it doesn’t frighten you as much as if you didn’t get experience in vehicles like these. If you can do it like that in training, you get the headspace of, ‘Okay, I know what to do. I know how to access these systems. I know how to handle these certain situations.’”
For more information on the Automotive Technology programs, visit austincc.edu/autotech.
