Alternative Fuels & Advanced Vehicle Technologies Program Assessment of Automotive and Electrical Programs in California Community Colleges MARCH, 2013 Prepared By: California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office Sponsored By: California Energy Commission Alternative Fuels & Advanced Vehicle Technologies Report development: Centers of Excellence, www.coeccc.net Advanced Transportation Technology & Energy Initiative, www.fourenergy.org Economic and Workforce Development Program California Community Colleges Important Disclaimer All representations included in this report have been produced from secondary review of publicly and/or privately available data and/or research reports. Efforts have been made to qualify and validate the accuracy of the data and the reported findings; however, neither the Centers of Excellence, nor the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office are responsible for applications or decisions made by recipient community colleges or their representatives based upon components or recommendations contained in this study. California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office 2 Alternative Fuels & Advanced Vehicle Technologies Table of Contents Executive Summary ............................................................................................................................................................. 4 Introduction ........................................................................................................................................................................... 6 Survey Methodology.......................................................................................................................................................... 6 Alternative Fuel Vehicle: Repair and Maintenance Programs ................................................................................ 10 Heavy Duty Vehicle: Repair and Maintenance Programs ....................................................................................... 15 Alternative Fuel Production and Handling Programs ............................................................................................... 20 Conclusion .......................................................................................................................................................................... 25 Appendix A: Community College Programs and Survey Participation ................................................................ 26 Appendix B: Taxonomy of Program Codes & Corresponding Occupational Titles ........................................... 26 Appendix C: Program Survey Detail ........................................................................................................................... 26 Appendix D: Target Occupations ................................................................................................................................. 27 California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office 3 Alternative Fuels & Advanced Vehicle Technologies Executive Summary In the fall of 2012, the Centers of Excellence (COE) and the Advanced Transportation Technology & Energy Centers (ATTE), initiatives of the CCCCO Economic and Workforce Development program, working closely with the CCCCO and Energy Commission, conducted a survey of community colleges to better understand the variety of programs and course offerings related to vehicle repair and maintenance and alternative fuel production. California community colleges were asked to provide detailed information on their existing course and program offerings related to vehicle transportation, electrical technologies and fuel production in an effort to map the integration of alternative fuels and advanced vehicle technologies into curriculum as well as to assess the capacity of the community college system to provide training in these areas. Data was analyzed and organized into three topic areas: alternative fuel/electric vehicle repair and maintenance; heavy duty vehicle repair and maintenance; and alternative fuel production and handling. Within each topic area, the COE assessed program capacity, occupational targets, course concentrations, program challenges, partnership potential, professional development and efforts to stay current. Key findings for each area include: Alternative fuel/electric vehicle repair and maintenance programs • 40 community colleges in California offer curriculum or programs related to alternative fuel vehicle repair and maintenance • The majority of colleges (64%) characterized their program as oversubscribed or at the maximum student enrollment levels • These programs prepare students primarily for automotive master mechanics and automotive specialty technician careers • Common course topics include hybrid vehicle maintenance and development, alternative and renewable fuel properties, and electric vehicle maintenance • One of the most significant challenges for the alternative fuel vehicle repair and maintenance programs is finding resources for new training equipment or soliciting donations of equipment • The most common partnership reported involve articulation or other agreements with K-12 institutions • 82% of staff are provided access to training in alternative fuel or electric vehicle repair and maintenance to better equip existing staff with the latest in technical expertise and knowledge • 89% plan to add an alternative fuel and /or alternative fuel vehicle content in to existing program curricula. Heavy duty vehicle repair and maintenance programs • 21 community colleges in California offer curriculum or programs related to heavy duty vehicle repair and maintenance • The majority of colleges (67%) characterized their program as oversubscribed or at the maximum student enrollment levels • These programs prepare students primarily for automotive master mechanics and automotive specialty technician careers • Common course topics include hybrid vehicle maintenance and development, alternative and renewable fuel properties, natural gas engine and vehicle maintenance and non-petroleum derived diesel fuel (gas-to-liquids and biodiesel) • One of the most significant challenges for the heavy duty vehicle repair and maintenance programs is finding resources for new training equipment or soliciting donations of equipment • The most common partnership reported involve articulation or other agreements with K-12 institutions California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office 4 Alternative Fuels & Advanced Vehicle Technologies • 89% of staff are provided access to training in heavy duty vehicle repair and maintenance to better equip existing staff with the latest in technical expertise and knowledge • 67% plan to add an alternative fuel and /or alternative fuel vehicle content in to existing program curricula. Alternative fuel production and handling programs • 11 community colleges in California offer curriculum or programs related to alternative fuel production and handling programs • The majority of colleges (78%) characterized their program as oversubscribed or at the maximum student enrollment levels • These programs prepare students primarily for automotive master mechanics and automotive specialty technician careers • Common course topics include hybrid vehicle maintenance and development, alternative and renewable fuel properties, natural gas engine and vehicle maintenance and fuel efficiency technologies and measures for alternative fuel • One of the most significant challenges for the alternative fuel production and handling programs is finding resources for new training equipment or soliciting donations of equipment • The most common partnership reported involve articulation or other agreements with K-12 institutions • 86% of staff are provided access to training in alternative fuel production and handling to better equip existing staff with the latest in technical expertise and knowledge • 86% plan to add an alternative fuel and /or alternative fuel vehicle content in to existing program curricula. The responses to this internal assessment confirm that community colleges are making significant changes to traditional automotive and electrical programs in an effort to prepare a workforce to serve next generation cars, trucks and fuel production methods. To ensure the most efficient use of resources, colleges should consider leveraging existing course curriculum from more advanced programs for colleges just beginning to incorporate these topics, and/or to support developing and providing instructor training events that cater to the largest interest areas or largest number of colleges. California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office 5 Alternative Fuels & Advanced Vehicle Technologies Introduction Community college education and training serves many purposes. In addition to preparing students for a specific occupation or to transfer to a four-year university, career technical education courses, help incumbent workers keep up-to-date on technologies and skills affecting their current or future employment – whether through for-credit, semester-based classes or more flexible contract education opportunities. Since 2009, the California Community Colleges’ Chancellor’s Office (CCCCO), in partnership with the California Energy Commission (Energy Commission), have collaborated on a multi-year, multi-phase workforce research, curriculum and professional development project focusing on advanced transportation technologies. In the fall of 2012, the Centers of Excellence (COE) and the Advanced Transportation Technology & Energy Centers