Plymouth Canton schools offer electric vehicle classes
In the upcoming school year, the district will offer classes focused on electric vehicle (EV) 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, CTE
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 EV program at Plymouth Canton schools,
students will learn about EVs including the
technology and design. This includes 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 school district for the purchase of Switch Lab electric vehicle parts and components as well as resources to build a
“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.”
