WRGB CBS 6\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\nAdditional morning news coverage was on WNYT News Channel 13.<\/p>\n
Reporter Melissa Schuman covered the event for The Troy Record\/The Saratogian. Her photo and article appear below.<\/p>\n
HVCC announces training partnership with New York Power Authority<\/h4>\n By Melissa Schuman \/ Troy Record \/ March 13, 2025<\/p>\n
TROY, N.Y. \u2014 Hudson Valley Community College (HVCC) announced a partnership with New York Power Authority (NYPA) that will create an instructor training program for the growing electric vehicle (EV) industry.<\/p>\n
The partnership is receiving funding through a generous $105,000 grant from Electrify America, the nation\u2019s largest open \u201chyper-fast\u201d charging network that builds and maintains EV charging stations. It is also getting support from the New York State Education Department, through the Office of Career and Technical Education.<\/p>\n
The collaboration was announced at a press conference on Tuesday morning inside HVCC\u2019s Williams Hall, where the school\u2019s automotive department is located. Attendance included representatives from HVCC \u2013 including automotive technology students \u2013 NYPA, and the state Education Department.<\/p>\n
\u201cHudson Valley Community College is a very special place to me,\u201d remarked HVCC Officer In Charge Louis Coplin during the press conference. \u201cI\u2019ve been here for over 40 years. We\u2019re excited to announce a partnership between HVCC and New York Power Authority. This event wouldn\u2019t be possible without the support of NYPA and the State Education Department.\u201d<\/p>\n
The partnership will create an education model for instructors across the state, teaching them new curricula and best practices for workforce development in the automotive industry. As New York State races to reach its ambitious goal of being completely zero-emissions by 2035, an estimated two to three million workers will be needed in the fast-growing EV industry to meet that goal. HVCC\u2019s goal is to train industry educators, who will then train students, who will then be able to secure high-demand, high-wage industry jobs to meet the workforce need.<\/p>\n
And at the same time, HVCC will continue its own training of students in its high-quality automotive and electrical programs, teaching the EV industry end-to-end \u2013 from the vehicles themselves to the electrical grid that\u2019s required to operate them.\u00a0Coplin reported 121 students were enrolled in HVCC\u2019s automotive technology programs this academic year, including a record number of women.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe must expand training and access to this growing industry,\u201d Coplin stated.<\/p>\n
Sarah Brannen, Director of Environmental Justice with NYPA, praised HVCC\u2019s progressive efforts at workforce development.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis program partnership will be an incredible boost to the workforce,\u201d she said. \u201cAs the state moves forward to zero emissions in 2035, we need to be ready. HVCC and NYPA are preparing for the future. I look forward to seeing this program grow as EVs become the norm.\u201d<\/p>\n
Since 2021, NYPA has donated 22 retired hybrid and electric vehicles, chargers, and EV tool kits to HVCC and other colleges and school districts, to be used as educational training tools for students in automotive technology programs.<\/p>\n
Dr. Chris McNally, HVCC professor and chair of its Applied Technologies department, will administer three train-the-trainer seminars in 2025 and another three in 2026. The sessions will be held at HVCC and two additional State University of New York institutions in other regions of the state, to maximize program reach. In total, the HVCC-NYPA partnership will support EV technology training for 120 public education automotive technology instructors from Board of Cooperative Educational Services (BOCES), local school districts, and community colleges across the state.<\/p>\n
McNally oversees five automotive programs at HVCC, including Automotive Management A.A.S., Automotive Technical Services A.O.S., Automotive Technical Services-Autobody Repair A.O.S., and Electric and Autonomous Vehicles A.O.S. and Certificate. He has been keeping HVCC involved in alternate fuels and electric vehicle systems since the 1990s.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re teaching students about EVs and about the charging systems,\u201d McNally said of the automotive technology programs. \u201cWho\u2019s going to install and repair these charging stations? HVCC students. This is what HVCC is about. We serve the community, this is a need of the community, we found a way to get it done.\u201d<\/p>\n
Manik Elahi, a representative for Congressman Paul Tonko and an HVCC alumnus, was glad to see that the college\u2019s innovative spirit hadn\u2019t changed since he was a student.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis institution is a prime example of taking students and launching them into the next level of socio-economic status, whatever that may mean for the current industry,\u201d Elahi said.<\/p>\n
Hayden Kothe, a senior at HVCC, provided a testament to the quality of the college\u2019s automotive technologies programs. Because of the training and experiences he received as an HVCC student, he was offered an industry job before he even graduated. Kothe described the love and enthusiasm he has for his job, which he said \u201cnever feels like going to work\u201d because he enjoys it so much.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat you\u2019re hearing today is exactly why we\u2019re here,\u201d Coplin said at the conclusion of the press conference. \u201cWe\u2019re here to create opportunities to advance people\u2019s quality of life.\u201d<\/p>\nFrom left: HVCC alum and representative for Congressman Paul Tonko Manik Elahi, HVCC professor Dr. Chris McNally, State Education Department representative Brittany Kitterman, HVCC student Hayden Kothe, New York Power Authority representative Sarah Brannen, and HVCC Officer In Charge Louis Coplin.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n <\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
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