Miami Dade College’s (MDC) West Campus recently celebrated the opening of its new Electric Vehicle Training Center and the graduation of its first cohort of Tesla START students. It is the first institution in the southeastern U.S. — and only one of six nationally — to partner with Tesla to offer a certificate training program for service technicians called Tesla START. The program combines in-class theory, hands-on labs, and self-paced learning to teach students the necessary technical skills.
“With the opening of the new training center, students will be able to compete for opportunities in the growing field of electric vehicle service technicians,” says MDC’s Interim President Dr. Rolando Montoya.
The Career Technical Certificate in Advanced Automotive Service Technology – Tesla Technician Program, called Tesla START, is an accelerated 12-week program designed to equip students with the skills necessary to become electric vehicle technicians. Tesla has provided the training equipment, vehicles, tools, and curriculum for the program. Following completion of the program, successful students are eligible to work as full-time employees at a Tesla Service Center in North America. To date, more than 200 students nationwide have graduated from the Tesla START program.
