Key points: 

• The Community Resource Project’s board of directors meeting was interrupted by a celebration for 15 women who completed electric vehicle job training, including immigrants and those seeking new career paths.
• The pilot program, funded by the California Energy Commission, aims to train nearly 100 Sacramento area residents, with a focus on immigrants, women, and youth from traditionally underserved communities.
• The training program involves classroom learning with virtual reality headsets followed by hands-on experience with smaller remote vehicles, with the goal of empowering participants to start their own businesses and contribute to the green tech solution for climate change.

A recent meeting of the Community Resource Project’s Board of Directors was interrupted by a little child dancing, smiling, and handing out diplomas as the 15 women who recently completed electric vehicle job training were congratulated.

Unique Pilot Program Targets Underserved Communities

The unique pilot program, funded by the California Energy Commission, is set to train nearly 100 Sacramento area residents to work with electric vehicles. The program aims to benefit traditionally underserved communities with focused recruiting of immigrants, women, and youth for class groupings that target specific groups for focused attention. 

The first graduating class was populated with immigrants from Afghanistan and Ukraine. The Women’s Cohort is the second to graduate. The 15 graduates included immigrants, two mother-and-daughter pairs, and other women seeking a new career path.

After four weeks of learning in a classroom with virtual reality headsets, the class moved to hands-on learning at the California Mobility Center. Rather than jumping straight to full-sized vehicles, the class started with smaller remote vehicles.

Positive Testimonials Highlight Program’s Impact

“I learned more about cars or vehicles than I could have ever fathomed from participating in this program. I learned how to put together a remote control car by assembling all of the parts,” wrote program participant Degrata Brown. “It was amazing to build something from scratch and see it become powered by an electric battery. I began to understand that we were working with something unseen or invisible, and that is energy. To me, understanding that component was incredible.”

Two additional class groups, each with about 20 students, are currently meeting. The fifth and last scheduled class group is set to start on June 19. 

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Organizers said it is important to recognize the accomplishments of program graduates at the late May Community Resource Project meeting. 

“It was exciting to watch the participants celebrate their accomplishments,” said Gary Simon, chairman and founder of Clean Start. The hope is that the program will lead to real-life change for participants.