The nationwide push for more electric vehicles has created a skills gap among auto technicians, leading Audi to revamp its technician training program to help meet the need.
The automaker’s reimagined Audi Education Partnership — with a heavy focus on maintenance of electric vehicles — is designed to move technicians from entry-level to “expert technician” status in 18 months while they earn a paycheck along the way.
“We’re transforming our existing workforce and bringing new technicians in,” said Brian Stockton, Audi’s senior director of technical service, training and customer experience. “Our goal is to make sure we have a pipeline for new technicians to support our customers.”
Erick Martinez, who had no prior automotive experience, completed his training in October. He learned about the program at Pierce College in Woodland Hills.
“After each course, I could immediately apply what I was learning at the dealership,” the 27-year-old Los Angeles resident said. “I was interested in the program because I saw it as an opportunity to be an apprentice and learn from the best.”
Audi operates 11 U.S. training centers, including a Southern California location in Eastvale. (Photo courtesy of Audi Education Partnership)
Audi recruits many of its technician trainees through the Automotive Service Excellence Foundation, which connects students to schools and automotive learning programs nationwide.
The Audi Education Partnership celebrated its first graduating class in 2022 and has 11 more graduations scheduled this year.
“We have 304 dealerships and our training program can handle 330 to 350 students at any given time,” Stockton said. “We graduate about 130 technicians a year.”
The training program begins with self-paced training modules that cover such topics as EV battery repair and programming a vehicle’s computer systems. Once students complete and pass the modules, they’re hired as apprentices at Audi dealerships where they work alongside experienced technicians to gain first-hand experience.
Over the next 18 months, they also attend eight weeks of Audi-specific classroom training. The automaker operates 11 U.S. training centers, including a Southern California location in Eastvale.
Classroom training covers a wide range of topics, including electrical basics, wiring diagrams, mechanical diagnosis, suspension and alignment procedures, driver-assist systems and repair of Audi chassis systems.
“The classes are comprised of students from all over the country,” Stockton said. “We start them all off at our training center at Auburn Hills, Mich. and then they are moved around to different centers where they really learn to become part of our team.”
Students are given time off from their assigned dealerships to take the training, and Audi pays for their transportation costs.
Classes are regularly updated to reflect the current dealer environment, Audi said, and training includes real-world auto issues so students are prepared to diagnose and fix them post-graduation.
“I recommend this program to other technicians and students,” Martinez said. “I also enjoyed meeting other technicians and while we graduated to dealers across the country, we remain close.”
Students earn a minimum of $15 an hour during training, but wages are higher in areas like Los Angeles and New York where housing costs are higher.
“Once they complete all of their training it’s not unusual to see technicians earnings upwards of $100,000 a year,” Stockton said. “Technical training of this kind would normally take five years or more, but we’ve broken it down into 18 months. It’s a very defined and structured approach.”
A similar 12-week Tesla START program at Rio Hondo College has seen more than 250 students pass through, with technicians securing jobs in California, Hawaii, Utah, Texas, South Carolina, Washington, Oregon, Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Nevada and Idaho.
The program’s student population has shifted from 3% female to 12% female this year, and Rio Hondo has also established a WING-EV (Women in Next Generation Electronic Vehicles) Academy to funnel more women, and those who identify as women, into the field.
The demand for EV technicians is high.
Gavin Newsom recently announced that California had achieved its goal of 1.5 million zero-emission vehicles sold in the state two years ahead of schedule, with $2 billion in incentives distributed to Californians to make the transition more affordable.
The Golden State has emerged as a clear leader in the move toward EVs. Data from the California Energy Commission show that 21% of all new cars sold in California this year have been zero-emission vehicles, while 40% of the nation’s zero-emission vehicle sales are in California.
“We’re making real progress on the world’s most ambitious plan to end the tailpipe so our kids and grandkids are left with a cleaner, healthier planet,” Newsome said in a statement.
Source:
https://www.sbsun.com/2023/06/26/audi-training-program-readies-auto-techs-for-an-ev-future/
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