A growing High Desert population and an increase in hybrid vehicles establish the groundwork for a new 13-credit certificate program at Victor Valley College beginning in Spring 2018.
The College hopes that the program will serve as the basis for a new career pathway that will allow students to make a living wage in an area that’s still reeling from the Great Recession. The automotive industry is one of the few industries growing in the High Desert region, and will continue to expand as consumers shift toward more environmentally friendly vehicles and face longer commutes.
More than 80 percent of Victor Valley’s population commutes to work in San Bernardino or Palm Springs, or even farther to Los Angeles or Orange County. These long drives make hybrid vehicles attractive, and the state predicts the need for automotive service technicians to grow by 12 percent in San Bernardino County alone.
The Hybrid Vehicle Technician Certificate will be implemented using a three-pronged approach: professional development, curriculum development, and equipment acquisition.
The college will use its own funds to supplement ATRE-CEC funding and bring the program online.
Three of the four courses in the certificate are already in place at Victory Valley College.
A new capstone course will be added to prepare students for the ASE L3 certification exam. This certificate, in conjunction with the completion of the college’s certificate, will make graduates attractive to dealerships and repair shops that service hybrid vehicles.
The college’s faculty will require professional development in order to ensure they are preparing students to be successful on the ASE L3 exam. The college will also need to acquire a Hybrid Demonstrator, Fuel Cell Energy Box, and other tools to be prepared for the new course.
“By introducing a new way to learn and a new way to earn, these students can see possibilities before them,” the college wrote in its proposal. “The certificate program fuses both the old and the new to create something sustainable for all of us.”
