Stephanie Feger, Project Director, Educational Services

Advanced Transportation and Logistics is one of the priority industry sectors on a new website that provides information about jobs and careers to community college students.

The TalentED Story Map allows students to visualize regional workforce needs and available educational opportunities. Counselors can also help others plan out a career path that reflects personal and financial goals.

The project is led by the Coast District under the direction of Project Director Stephanie Feger. It is funded through the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office Strong Workforce Program. Read More →

GA-ASI MQ-9B SkyGuardian – TA Flight 07118-1 (General Atomics)

In two short years, Victor Valley College students interested in Aviation careers can become certified Avionics Technicians for remotely piloted aircraft.

The best part, they get paid during training that will provide them with an opportunity to gain experience and develop a skillset.  Thanks to a $692,000 grant awarded to Victor Valley College from the California Community College Chancellor’s Office and a partnership with General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI), the ETAP (Electronics Technician Apprenticeship Program) will provide valuable career training and skills required for employment opportunities in an in-demand and fast growing industry sector. Read More →

Katie Mishler brings years of logistics and education experience to the critical role of Advanced Transportation and Logistics Deputy Sector Navigator for the Los Angeles Region, hosted at Cerritos College.

Mishler has worked at Cerritos College since 2011 in the Advanced Transportation, Technology, and Energy Center. She worked with municipalities across southern California to assist with grants, infrastructure projects, and alternative fuel training development. She also serves as the Long Beach Clean Cities Assistant Coordinator, a program funded by the Department of Energy that focuses on fossil fuel reduction.

As Deputy Sector Navigator, she will be an industry liaison for the region, connecting education with industry to address and fill workforce gaps and assist in curriculum and career pathway program development.

“I’m very interested in building and expanding relationships with colleges in the LA region, and also work on connecting colleges with K-12 and pathway development,” Mishler said. “Throughout my career, I have worked closely with local community college automotive programs to assist with grant procurement, and program development in alternative fuels.”

Mishler holds Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in history from California State University, Los Angeles, and has been an adjunct faculty member at Cerritos College and Cypress College.

Jaime Gonzalez caught the automotive bug turning wrenches with his dad as a kid.

Since then, he’s worked as an automotive employee, business owner, and educator. He brings all of that experience to his new role as Advanced Transportation and Logistics Deputy Sector Navigator for the Orange County Region, hosted at Golden West College.

Gonzalez attended the Regional Occupational Program at South El Monte High School, which lead to his first job at a high-performance machine shop. He earned an associate degree in Natural Science while working full-time.

He spent 10 years as an automotive employee and then became a business owner. He’s also served as an automotive instructor at Cerritos College.

Gonzalez still holds the passion for automotive technology that he developed as a kid. He is excited to combine his personal and professional experiences in his new role as DSN.

“I am passionate about emerging technologies in the transportation sector,” Gonzalez said. “In collaboration with the Community Colleges and industry experts, I am excited to facilitate innovative training solutions for tomorrow’s highly-skilled workforce.”

Across the country, cities and towns of all sizes are being asked to do more with less. Training and professional development are often the first things to be cut when budgets shrink.

Community colleges throughout California through the Advanced Transportation and Logistics Sector are working with the Municipal Equipment Maintenance Association (MEMA) to provide training for municipal fleet employees, as well as helping MEMA members obtain funding to support training.

MEMA’s mission is to improve the quality of service in the public sector by providing a forum for the free exchange of experience, technical knowledge, ideas and opinions that enhance the delivery of public services and promote the personal and professional growth for its members. The organization’s members include fleet and operations managers at the city and county level. Read More →

Dan Vidakovich, Hardware and Prototyping Manager from Lyft Level 5’s Engineering Center

Through its Level 5 lab, Lyft is hoping to merge autonomous vehicles with ride sharing to revolutionize the transportation experience.

These changes mean that automotive education programs will need to keep pace to keep students employable upon graduation.

In January, faculty and administrators from throughout Bay Area toured Lyft Level 5 and learned how they can help their students stay on top of this rapidly-changing field. The visit was coordinated by Pam Gutman, Advanced Transportation and Logistics Deputy Sector Navigator in the Bay Area.

The group met with Dan Vidakovich, Hardware and Prototyping Manager from Lyft Level 5’s Engineering Center. Vidakovich started this lab two years ago with 12 employees. He now has more than 400 employees, and more than 80 percent of them are software engineers with four-year degrees or more. Read More →

Autonomous Electric Utility Vehicle

Autonomous vehicles are changing the automotive industry, but some employers say that automotive degrees and certificates are stuck in the 1990s.

How can community colleges prepare students for the jobs of today and tomorrow? A recent meeting brought together leaders from industry and education to examine that question.

In November, automotive faculty from the Bay Area and Southern California came together for The Automotive Marketplace, the first major event of the Automotive Regional Joint Venture Project, NextGen AutoTech. More than 25 faculty from 14 colleges attended, along with representatives from BMW, Bosch, Ford, Lyft Level 5, and Tesla. Automotive faculty from San Jose State University also participated in the day’s events. Read More →

Photo credit: Long Beach City College

The Bureau of Labor Statistics expects jobs in logistics to grow by 26 percent by 2020. And, automation means that existing jobs are going to change faster than ever. Education and training are critical to solving both of these problems.

The Advanced Transportation and Logistics Sector is working with the Global Trade Sector to identify training opportunities and career paths to help fill these needs. One such effort the sectors are looking to promote and grow is the Port of Long Beach Maritime Center of Excellence developed by Long Beach City College (LBCC) and the Port of Long Beach. The program is now accepting registrations from community members who are interested in the global logistics and supply chain industries. Read More →

Visit the website at: https://info.techforcefoundation.com/future-techs-rock-awards-2019

It’s not too late to nominate a superstar student for the 2019 TechForce FutureTechs Rock Awards! TechForce is seeking the top students enrolled in transportation technician educational programs across the country and will be awarding special prizes, including a TechForce Foundation Scholarship.

Award Categories include:

• Automotive
• Diesel On-Road
• Diesel Off-Road
• Motorcycle and ATV
• Marine and Watercraft
• Aviation
• Motorsports
• Restoration
• Collision Repair

Nominations will be accepted until March 27, 2019 at 4:00 p.m. PT.

Find out more here: https://info.techforcefoundation.com/future-techs-rock-awards-2019

Photo credit: www.SchoolBusFleet.com

As electric vehicles continue to become more mainstream, so too are electric school buses.

That means school districts and others need qualified technicians to work on them.

To help meet that demand, American River College is partnering with the Twin Rivers Unified School District to create an electric school bus repair program that high school students can take for credit at the college.

The Twin Rivers Unified School District received a grant for 16 electric school buses in 2017. Tim Shannon, the district’s director of transportation, met with Craig Weckman, department chair of collision technology and diesel technology at American River College, to discuss how to deal with a lack of technicians well-versed in electric vehicle maintenance coupled with an increase in related job opportunities that looms on the horizon. Read More →