business backgrounder | education & workforce
Charging Up for Change
As demand for electric vehicle technicians grows , Washington ’ s community and technical colleges are revising their automotive programs to meet it .
Debbie Ritenour
Peninsula College and Spokane Community College recently began incorporating electric vehicles into the curriculum of their automotive programs to meet the industry ’ s evolving needs .
At A Glance
Americans bought more electric vehicles in 2023 than ever before .
These vehicles require technicians with specialized training and expertise .
Community and technical colleges such as Peninsula
College and Spokane Community College are updating their automotive programs to ensure students have the skills they need as they enter the workforce .
“ As we were looking at ways to improve our program and better meet employer needs , EVs rose to the top of our radar .”
— Ashley Purdin , dean of technical education at
Spokane Community College
Electric vehicles are more popular than ever . According to Kelley Blue Book , Americans bought a record-breaking 1.2 million electric cars , trucks and SUVs in 2023 . That represents 7.6 % of all vehicle sales , up from 5.9 % in 2022 .
Even with all their bells and whistles , electric vehicles are not without their issues . In fact , as the industry experiences growing pains and the kinks are being worked out , electric vehicle owners have been reporting more problems than owners of gas-powered or hybrid vehicles . That means electric vehicle technicians are also more popular than ever .
Washington ’ s community and technical colleges have long partnered with employers to develop programs that meet their needs . Peninsula College and Spokane Community College are among the many colleges across the state that are updating , revising or overhauling their automotive programs to stay current with student and industry needs .
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