Washtenaw Community College Hosts U-M William Davidson Institute
Photo credit: Washtenaw Community College
Meeting could lead to partnerships aimed at training future electric vehicle workforce.
On October 7th, Diána Paez, Senior Director of Energy & Mobility at the William Davidson Institute (and CCAT Global Symposium alumni), brought visitors from Costa Rica and the Philippines to the Washtenaw Community College Morris Lawrence Building. Al Lecz and Marifer Calleja Barrett guided them to the Occupational Education (OE) Building to tour the Electric Vehicle Lab, which is under construction. They were briefed on safety protocols and given safety glasses before entering the lab, where they met Instructors Justin, Shawn, and Jesse. The instructors provided an overview of the lab and answered questions from the group. The visitors were then taken to the Conference Room in OE-102, passing the Advanced Manufacturing and Welding Labs along the way, where key features, particularly in Robotics and Automation, were highlighted. There was much interest in these labs. In the Conference Room, the instructors explained the WCC EV Program Certificates and Degree Programs as well as providing flyers for the visitors. A Q&A session followed, with Marifer interpreting in Spanish as needed.
The Costa Rican group shared details about their EV Training Program, which includes online modules and hands-on training at Hudson Valley Community College in New York. Completing the program earns an 80-credit ElectroMobility Diploma. The meeting concluded with an exchange of business cards, and Al invited the group to the 2025 CCAT Global Symposium on March 28th. Before departing, Diana told Al to stay tuned for more information coming from the Costa Rica Group and U-M regarding a potential partnership proposal after evaluating what they heard and saw from the EV Lab tour and exchange with WCC Instructors. Diana also advised that U-M is working with the Michigan Economic Development Corporation (MEDC) on the development of International Exchanges of EV Training, such as this prospect.