New Partnership Launches Electric Vehicle Training at Savannah Technical College

• Savannah Technical College will offer a new electric vehicle professional certificate, the school announced.
• The school is partnering with Hyundai Motor Group Metaplant America (HMGMA) to offer the training.
• Hyundai is building a multibillion-dollar electric vehicle plant in Georgia.
• Community colleges across the country are stepping up to train electric vehicle workers.

With electric vehicles projected to grow in popularity over the next decade, demand is increasing for electric vehicle (EV) technicians — and technical colleges are stepping up to train workers.

A new partnership between Savannah Technical College in Georgia and Hyundai Motor Group Metaplant America (HMGMA) will allow students at the two-year public college to earn an electric vehicle professional certificate starting this summer, according to the school's press release.

Hyundai's $5.54 billion electric vehicle and battery plant in Georgia is projected to bring more than 8,100 jobs to the region, according to a Hyundai release. The facility in Georgia will heavily feature artificial intelligence (AI) and data in its production, according to the release, and the manufacturing process will "also create a human-centered work environment with robots assisting human workers."

"This partnership gives the community a clear pathway to employment at our exciting and cutting-edge smart factory," Oscar Kwon, president and CEO of HMGMA, said in the school's release.

The electric vehicle certificate program will include three courses over eight credit hours, according to the release, and will be offered at Savannah Technical College's Savannah and Liberty campuses. School officials plan to expand that training to additional campuses, according to the release.

"Everything we do at Savannah Technical College is about workforce development for our region," Savannah Technical College President Kathy Love said in the release. "We are proud to partner with HMGMA to help train their workforce. We appreciate their input to develop this short-term, specialized training certificate."

Community colleges across the country are embracing electric vehicle training as the sector grows.

The American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) announced earlier this year that it will lead a new Electric Vehicles Hub alongside Tesla and Panasonic, BestColleges previously reported.

"The demand for software developers, electric battery assemblers, battery engineers and chemical engineers will soar and open up thousands of opportunities for manufacturing workers to upskill," Adrienne Summers, the AACC's executive director of apprenticeships, said in a January release.

"The shift toward EV technology will also require a massive build-out of EV charging infrastructure, which will have a largely positive impact on the workforce."

Community colleges are often looked to for workforce development when new industries come to their regions. BestColleges previously reported that community colleges in Ohio are working with Intel to train workers as part of the tech giant's $20 billion manufacturing plants being built near Columbus.