Michigan is helping train EV tech workers. Do their jobs exist yet?

• Michigan is subsidizing EV tech training in anticipation of an explosion of jobs in the field 
• Despite state support, there is an underwhelming student demand for the training
• About 4,000 jobs in EV tech were created in 2022, bringing the total to 32,000

AUBURN HILLS — At the back of Oakland Community College’s auto lab, Ebitari Burutolu stands with his classmates over the hood of an all-electric Audi E-Tron GT.

Currently a 40-year-old security guard at Ford Field, Burutolu became fascinated with electric vehicles after test driving one. When researching community college programs online, he discovered Oakland’s EV technician pilot program.

“The coordinator, he said you’d get to work on the cars instead of just talking about them,” said the Taylor resident. “I went to take a look at the lab.”

Burutolu was impressed. In addition to learning about the electrical and software components of the vehicles, he would have the chance to disassemble batteries, charging stations and a Tesla motor.

Upon completion of the 14-week program, Burutolu and peers in similar programs around Michigan will join the first wave of what Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and business leaders envision as the transition from gasoline to electric power.

More than 32,000 Michigan workers manufacture hybrid cars, electric vehicles and batteries according to 2023 Clean Jobs Midwest data. More than 4,000 of those jobs were added in 2022 alone — a 14 percent bump in just one year — as the industry continues to expand.

Despite the job growth, there’s been underwhelming interest in EV tech programs that have been springing up in community colleges across the state. 

Michigan spent $5 million to create an EV Jobs Academy collaborative in 2023, offering up to $5,000 in tuition grants for EV technician programs. State officials hope the programs will train 2,000 workers by the end of 2026. So far, only about 220 students have signed up.

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Many of those classes are now in pilot stages, and leaders caution that it’s too early to tell if such programs will meet the needs of the battery economy, or if the graduates will be able to find jobs in the still fledgling market. 

Michigan has already pledged over $2 billion for clean transportation projects since 2022, with Whitmer promising high-paying jobs in the EV industry that have largely not yet materialized. 

The state’s 2022 future mobility plan identified a projected shortage of skilled technicians as one of six factors limiting the transportation sector’s evolution. 

That prompted the training incentive program, which pays up to $5,000 for the $7,500 class. Coordinated by the Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity, the EV Jobs Academy is funding technician training programs at Oakland and 11 other community colleges across the state.

Those who complete the program are expected to be able to step into jobs at EV battery plants, as well as service electric vehicles and charging stations.

Manufacturers like Ford Motor Co. are promoting average salaries upward of $45,000 for EV plant workers, similar to the average earnings of current Michigan auto workers. 

Adriana Phelan, Michigan Community College Association’s new jobs training program director, said the programs are meant as collaborations between community colleges and manufacturers, as a way to offer hands-on experience with EVs and related equipment. 

Phelan said some employers are interviewing and hiring students directly out of the programs — though she acknowledged the programs are still struggling with a shortage of interested students and instructors.

“There is a scarcity of expertise in this new space,” Phelan said. “(But) I think the general challenge will be the recruitment of students into these programs and attracting the younger generation to really be interested in working in the EV industry.”

Big promise, few jobs

While the promise of EV jobs is large, the reality for now is modest. 

Many Michigan auto dealerships don’t need more than one technician who can service EVs, said Nissan Okemos Service Manager Matt Lingenfelter. 

His dealership service department is one of many facing a shortage of mechanics, and EV experience is far from their top priority when hiring. As with Chevrolet and Ford, Nissan will train at least one technician per dealership to work on non-gas cars.

For every Michigan-registered electric vehicle on the road, about 375 are gas-powered according to Department of Transportation data.

It’s rare to see more than three Nissan Leafs in the Okemos shop during the week. It’s evidence that Michigan is far from its “mobility revolution,” Lingenfelter said. 

Explosive employment growth in EV manufacturing is more promise than paychecks so far: A Bridge analysis in June found that Michigan’s recent $1 billion investment into five battery factories and EV production plants has created only 200 jobs — less than 2% of what was promised.

Yet the supply and demand of EVs are rapidly rising across the country.

A Boston Consumer Group report from earlier this year shows that 38% of U.S. consumers plan to get an EV as their next car. That amount is expected to rise if manufacturers can offer a variety of vehicles costing less than $50,000 with 20-minute charging times and 350-mile ranges.

‘It won’t be long’

Oakland Community College’s EV Technician pilot program, partially funded by the Michigan EV Jobs Academy, has seven students enrolled.

“With this being a new program, many of the components are still evolving and will be for a few more cohorts.” Program Coordinator Jeffery Carl wrote in an email to Bridge.

For $7,500, the program provides students with experience repairing electric vehicle technology in the on-campus auto lab. Carl spent a year meeting with local employers to ensure the curriculum met their needs for entry-level positions.

The course’s EV-certified instructor, Steven Sears, described it as a “smorgasbord” of experiences.

The program isn’t only teaching EV repair, he said. The course provides a skillset for students to get their foot in the door working in manufacturing, assembly and related fields like autonomous vehicles.

After the program ends, O.C.C. student Burutolu wants to find work at an independent EV repair shop and possibly train others. He hopes to start at an entry-level production position and learn the skills needed to advance in the workplace.

“Michigan isn’t there yet,” he said, “but it won’t be long before EVs outnumber gas cars on the road.”