Why I am sending Automotive Technology Graduates to the Tesla START Training Sites.

Ken Mays
Central Oregon Community College
Bend, OR


With the help of a National Science Foundation (NSF) – Advanced Technological Education (ATE) Grant, the Central Oregon Community College Automotive Technology Program started a new degree titled AAS Automotive Technology in Electronics and Diagnostics.  Contained in this degree are nine short-term certificates that culminate with outcomes that prepare graduates to enter the world of vehicle electrification systems.  
 
In the winter of 2018, three Tesla START representatives visited with Central Oregon Community College to explore the possibility of a training partnership.  The Central Oregon community was well represented – the name Tesla brings excitement into any room.  We thought that Central Oregon Community College has the image that a green company like Tesla would embrace.  To be realistic, even though Tesla has a growing market share in Central and Eastern Oregon, there is only one Tesla Service center in Oregon (Portland).  A major requirement to have a community college / Tesla partnership is the nearby Tesla Service Center.  Here is why.  
 
Tesla START screens community college graduates to insure a “fit” into the Tesla organization.  To start the 12-week Tesla START training, students are hired by Tesla and receive a salary for the required 600 hours.  During the 12-week course, the Tesla START employees serve in the Tesla Service Center for a portion of their training.  Upon graduation of the 12-week course, these new employees may be assigned locally, but more likely in another area of the country where these graduates will work with 3-4 person teams on an advanced pay scale as a Level 2 Technician.  The opportunities grow from there.  
 
Two COCC graduates have completed the AAS degree at Central Oregon Community College with my strong recommendation.  One graduate was accepted to the Tesla START program at Central Piedmont Community College in North Carolina.  The second graduate was accepted at the new Tesla START site located on the campus of Shoreline Community College in Washington.  We hope to enter into a partnership with Tesla START in the near future. 
 
The hope that I offer my students - not just technical capacity, but industry awareness and leadership – helping to chart the future for our community and nation.  As the reader, you recognize that our transportation methods are quickly changing and the skill sets for future technicians and industry leaders is quickly changing.  Great opportunities now exist for students with science and math skills, computer and programming skills, industrial and automotive skills, and always community building skills.  

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