The Automotive Technology program at Glendale Community College (GCC) received a very generous donation of an Electric Vehicle (EV) from the Salt River Project (SRP). The vehicle, a Full Electric 2015 Ford Focus, which had been part of the SRP EV fleet, was presented to the GCC Auto Tech - Ford Automotive Student Service Educational Training (ASSET) program on December 7th.
The Ford Focus EV is a tremendous benefit for GCC students who are pursuing an Associate's Degree or Certificates in Automotive Technology because they will now have additional training and actual hands-on experience and knowledge of EVs to add to their resumes and portfolios.
The Full Electric 2015 Ford Focus will be used for training in GCC's Ford ASSET program, which is a Ford Motor Company-sponsored, two-year, four-semester associate's degree/certificate program. GCC's Ford ASSET students attend eight weeks of classroom training and then spend the next eight weeks of the 16-week semester and summers working full time at the student's sponsoring Ford dealership, under the mentorship of a master Ford technician who works with the students as they apply their classroom knowledge to a hands-on learning experience. The Ford ASSET program is designed for students who desire a career working at a Ford or Lincoln Dealership. The students who graduate from the GCC Automotive Technology program also have the training necessary to be considered for positions in SRP's Transportation Services department which maintains all of the vehicle and equipment assets in the SRP fleet.
"It is hard to describe what this vehicle donation means to the Ford ASSET program and GCC," said Don Davis, the Ford ASSET Program Director and Instructor at GCC "It will have an immeasurable positive impact on the automotive students who participate in the Ford ASSET program, and the Full Electric vehicle is integral to the new training we have implemented to ensure the success of our students in the automotive industry."
The Associates' degree and certificates in Automotive Service Technology at GCC will allow students to apply technical knowledge and the hands-on skills to diagnose, repair, service, and maintain all vehicles, especially Hybrid Electric and Full EVs.
GCC is one of a small handful of community colleges in the U.S. that has purchased the widely acclaimed Lucas-Nuelle Automotive trainer, which is specifically designed and engineered for the diagnosis and repair of Hybrid-Electric and Full-EV technology. With this SRP donation, the students can learn how to diagnose and make repairs on a 100% battery-powered vehicle.
"Training with up-to-date technology in Automotive education is critical for an economy that is transitioning to low-carbon, electric vehicles, and transportation," said Kate Kochenderfer Senior Director of Supply Chain, Transportation, and Flight Services at SRP. "We are honored to make this donation, as a full-electric vehicle is a valuable asset that will help round out GCC's educational and training models and open up a pipeline of highly skilled future employees to one day work at SRP or other local companies within our community."