Collaborative Research: Development of an Electric Vehicle Engineering Technology Program for the Middle Tennessee Region

According to the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics, Tennessee ranks fourth in the U.S. in number of automobile manufacturing jobs - approximately 20,000 jobs in auto manufacturing in 2023. Tennessee also ranks first in the southeast in electric vehicle (EV) manufacturing and employment. This growth is accompanied by a critical shortage in the workforce, with studies predicting the shortage of EV technicians.

EV technician shortages will be addressed in this project by the creation of an EV Engineering Technology Program at Motlow State Community College and an EV Battery Technology Certificate at Chattanooga State Community College. The programs will provide students with the skills and knowledge they need and will help in ensuring that the electric vehicle industry has a workforce pool that is qualified to maintain and repair electric vehicles safely and efficiently.

As a result of this project, students will be trained to handle all electric vehicles, and will fill in the shortage gap that is expected to keep growing. This project will also help improve the economy in the regions through high demand skill training and will provide the automotive industry with the needed skilled workforce. The investigative team will work to promote diversity and equitable access for individuals from all backgrounds with a focus on groups underrepresented in the automotive industry.

This will be achieved through dissemination of project materials and through outreach activities in the economically disadvantaged regions and underrepresented communities of Tennessee. This project is funded by the Advanced Technological Education program that focuses on the education of technicians for the advanced-technology fields that drive the nation's economy.

This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.