Brookdale Community College of Middletown, New Jersey, has received a $561,318 grant from the National Science Foundation to integrate electric vehicle repair and maintenance into its automotive courses, reports New Jersey Business Magazine.
The grant will benefit Brookdale’s Electric Vehicle Education for New Jersey (EVE-NJ) project, which aims to prepare incoming technicians to adequately repair and service EVs. Beginning July 1, EV technology will be integrated with the automotive department’s curriculum.
Recently, the National Science Foundation also gave a $636,128 to Wake Tech Community College of North Carolina to help the school develop the state’s first two-year EV tech training program.
With the grant given to Brookdale, it will now be the first community college in New Jersey to integrate EV technology into its curriculum, according to Dr. James Crowder, dean of the STEM Institute. Dr. Crowder is one of the people leading the EVE-NJ project, alongside Automotive Technology Department Chair Professor Ivan Anderson.
Eight courses within Brookdale’s Automotive Technology degree and certificate programs will be revised to include instruction on standards for EVs. In addition, a separate certificate program will be developed, consisting of five courses in EV service and repair.
The project will have an emphasis on recruiting women into the program, with partnerships being established with Amazing Women in Automotive, New Jersey Business & Industry Association, FutureTech, Electrified Transportation Pro, and other groups. Elizabeth Kruse, a former Automotive Technology student at Brookdale who’s worked in the area as an auto technician for the past six years, has also been brought on to act as a teacher and mentor.
“EVE-NJ will not only bridge the existing knowledge gap in New Jersey’s automotive education but also fuel the state’s economic growth by supplying highly trained EV technicians,” stated Professor Anderson.
