The eight students who graduated on May 26 represent the second cohort at the Fort Bend County campus that kicked off in February and the first cohort to complete their training in the school’s new $3 million, 6,000-square-foot Faraday Center—a facility that opened in February that was designed and built to support electric vehicles, according to the announcement.
“Hopefully you enjoyed that space, and hopefully it was accommodating to you,” said Adam Barber, the college’s executive director of workforce training, in the news release. “I know you’re excited and happy to be starting a new chapter.”
The 16-week program aims to give students the skills necessary to become advanced electric vehicle technicians at Tesla, according to the school website. During the duration of the program, students are Tesla-paid hourly interns who develop technical expertise and earn certifications through a blended approach of in-class theory, hands-on labs and self-paced learning.
According to the news release, the estimated program tuition is $2,700, and students who complete the program are eligible to work at any Tesla Service Center in the United States.
With its Fort Bend County and Waco campuses, Texas State Technical College offers two of the nine available Tesla START college partnerships in the United States, with other partnerships offered at colleges in California, Florida, New York, North Carolina, Ohio and Washington, according to the release.
Since its launch in 2019, the Tesla START program has had more than 300 graduates.
