District now offering electric vehicle classes
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| Gerald Lickey, CTE automotive instructor and teacher leader at Canton High School,at left, Plymouth High School senior Owen Moline-Freeman, Canton High School senior Liam Pfeifer and Salem High School senior Jack Novak admire the electric vehicle. |
In the upcoming school year, the district will offer classes focused on electric vehicle technology and manufacturing, becoming the first in Michigan to teach a full design-to-drive high school curriculum.
“All over Michigan and the world, we're seeing an extremely high demand for trained employees in this new automotive technology,” said Gerald Lickey, Career and Technical Education automotive instructor and teacher leader at Canton High School. “With our new EV curriculum, Plymouth-Canton Community Schools is on the cutting edge of ensuring we prepare students for careers in this important new phase of the automotive industry.”
In the electric vehicle program at Plymouth-Canton, students will learn about electric vehicle technology and design. Course work will include building an electric vehicle, testing and repairing it, and driving the vehicle on the road once all technology, design and safety details have been nailed down.
The Margaret Dunning Foundation, which supports educational programs focused on the automobile and transportation industries in Michigan, provided a $58,000 grant to the district for the purchase of Switch Lab electric vehicle parts and components as well as resources to build a curriculum.
“Electric vehicles are the big leap forward in automotive technology, like the monumental change that took place when we switched from horses to the horseless carriage more than 150 years ago,” said Lickey, who has spent 40 years teaching and working in the auto sector. “Our students are just as excited about them as I am. This is the direction that the entire auto industry is going now.”
“Incorporating electric vehicles into our Career and Technical Education curriculum is another way Plymouth-Canton Community Schools is preparing our students for job opportunities of the future,” said Dr. Monica Merritt, superintendent of Plymouth Canton Community Schools. “We are so grateful to the Margaret Dunning Foundation and our partners who extended such generous support for our students and their success.”
