Tesla and Del Valle Independent School District (ISD) has started developing a student training program for high schoolers interested in working at Gigafactory Texas.
Del Valle ISD Ojeda Middle School’s principal, Alex Torrez, was hired two weeks ago as the school district’s chief workforce development officer for Tesla’s student training program. Torrez and Tesla are in the midst of planning information sessions for students and parents next week, where the attendees will receive an interest survey.
“From that survey, we will communicate with them, give them further information on how they can apply, and then, ultimately, what the selection process is going to before either becoming an intern or becoming employed out of Tesla,” Torrez explained to KXAN.
Students interested in Tesla’s training program will be split into separate groups. The first group will include juniors and seniors who want to continue their education after graduation. The second group will only include seniors who wish to enter the workforce right after graduation. Tesla will be training students who want to work immediately.
The students who wish to continue their education will start training with Del Valle ISD. Students will be given a set of modules to work through during the program. Each module is based on a skill that students need to be successful at Tesla. Torrez said that students could start training as early as this summer.
Tesla’s student training program is a necessary component of Giga Texas. Last month, Elon Musk stated that Tesla would need to hire more than 10,000 people through 2022 alone to operate Giga Texas. The announcement supported Tesla’s promise to bring thousands of middle-skilled work to Texas.
However, there are concerns that the workforce Giga Texas demands exceeds the number of skilled workers the local talent pool can supply.
“Tesla is a fantastic addition to the region. The jobs that they’re bringing are important and will help people have meaningful careers. However, the workforce community and associations like ARMA really need to ensure that we have programs in place to inspire young people into these careers because there is going to be a shortage of skilled workers,” said Ed Latson to Austin Business Journal. Laston is the executive director of the Austin Regional Manufacturers Association (ARMA).
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