Community College of Allegheny County Launches First EV Automotive Technician Apprenticeship Program in the U.S.

Bob Koch CCAC Automotive Instructor, Acting Secretary of Labor Julia Su and PA Congressman Chris Deluzio at the CCAC Ribbon Cutting Event on October 31, 2024. (photo credit: R Alex Durbin)

Funder: U.S. Department of Energy (U.S. DOE), Vehicle Technologies Office (VTO)

Location: Oakdale, PA

Fleet or Project type: EV Automotive Technician Apprenticeship program and Training Lab

Narrative: 

In October, the German American Chamber of Commerce, Pittsburgh Chapter, in partnership with the Community College of Allegheny County (CCAC), and the Greater Pittsburgh Automobile Dealers Association (GPADA) launched the first EV Automotive Technician Apprenticeship program in the U.S., based on Germany’s Handwerkskammer Apprenticeship Program. The program will be hosted in a new EV Automotive Technician Laboratory, equipped with Germany's state of the art Lucas-Nülle training systems, at CCAC’s West Hills Center in Oakdale, PA.

Pittsburgh Region Clean Cities (PRCC) is supporting the program with public education, outreach and promotion support, including EV ride and drives that complement the work of the Lab and Apprenticeship program. In advance of the program launch, PRCC also arranged for supplementary training equipment donations, including: a Blink 50KW Charger and two Blink Level II Chargers provided by Blink.

The Handwerkskammer Apprenticeship Program has been the premier EV training program in Germany since 2013. In preparation for the certificate program launch, CCAC participated in an exchange program with Germany, traveling to train with local dealers, technicians and guild members in Stuttgart, while an automotive mechatronic meister visited in Pittsburgh to facilitate the program and lab openings.

The 15-credit, one year certificate program is being offered to students with existing automotive experience. The program combines 185 hours of technical instruction with paid, on-the-job training through local dealerships, as developed by GPADA. A key characteristic of the certificate program is its flexibility.  The Lucas-Nülle training systems offer simulated training opportunities that are OEM agnostic, allowing for skills transfer across a range of vehicle brands and models.

In addition to flexibility, a primary emphasis of the program is on-the-job safety.  While much of the equipment training will be simulated; CCAC will offer some additional hand-on training with their existing electric vehicles.

“The goal is to bring more high-tech EV training to Western Pennsylvania,” said Bob Koch, Professor and Coordinator of the Ford ASSET Program at CCAC. The certificate program is set to officially open in Summer 2025.

Outputs & Outcomes: 

With two years in the making, the Apprenticeship Program received funding from a Department of Labor’s Green Infrastructure Grant; the Hillman Foundation supported the Training Lab equipment; the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) paid for travel; and, CCAC provided additional funding for the effort through grants.

A ribbon cutting ceremony was held for the new lab on October 31, 2024.  Distinguished guests included: U.S. Acting Secretary of Labor Julie Su; White House Domestic Policy Advisor Neera Tanden; Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey’s office; County Executive Sara Innamorato; the German American Chamber of Commerce, Pittsburgh Chapter; CCAC; & Partner4Work. 

Following the Ribbon Cutting Ceremony, CCAC and the German American Chamber of Commerce held several open-houses during Apprenticeship Week in November. In December, PRCC hosted a tour of the Lab with local municipalities participating in the Electrify Allegheny program; the EV Fleet Maintenance and Funding Opportunities event was attended by roughly 30 participants.