Michigan Central, a mobility innovation campus in Detroit’s Corktown neighborhood, is partnering with ChargerHelp! to offer free skills-training to Detroit residents to get them ready for in-demand jobs in the field of electric vehicle (EV) charger maintenance.
ChargerHelp! is a Black- and women-owned company dedicated to improving the reliability of the EV-charging infrastructure and workforce enablement.
Michigan Central aims to improve the talent pool in southeast Michigan and provide more opportunities for Detroit residents.
“At Michigan Central, we believe Detroiters must be included in the new economic opportunities provided by our changing economy,” says Clarinda Barnett-Harrison, director of skills at Michigan Central.
Underscoring the need for Michigan Central’s Skills program is the fact that Black and Latino workers are being left behind in the jobs that will lead society into the future. In metro Detroit, 16 percent of jobs in growth occupations were held by Black people and 18 percent by Latinos, according to a Brookings analysis of the American Community Survey.
EV adoption at scale will continue to drive demand for technicians, with significant growth in renewable-energy generation and energy storage solutions. The skills gained as an EV charger technician should also represent a great steppingstone to other emerging opportunities for Detroiters.
“There has to be a workforce dedicated to maintaining the technical complexities of the EV chargers,” says Kameale C. Terry, co-founder and CEO of ChargerHelp!. “EV charging stations will be deployed throughout the state, chargers need to work, and they must remain reliable for EV drivers.”
Officials state the training program will be the first of its kind to be nationally validated and certified. It was designed specifically for Michigan Central, in partnership with industry leaders such as the Society for Automotive Engineers (SAE) Sustainable Mobility Solutions.
The six- to eight-week program is designed to accommodate the schedules of working adults. Once certified, Detroit residents can expect to make $67,000 a year and up.
Michigan Central and the city’s Detroit at Work initiative will help students with job placement after they are certified. Classes for the first cohort will begin this November, with additional sessions opening throughout 2024. Detroiters should visit here to get started.
The State of Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity (LEO), the Michigan Economic Development Corp., and Detroit at Work are helping to fund skills building at Michigan Central. The first ChargerHelp! cohort is being funded by Michigan Central.
There are three requirements to enroll. Participants must be Detroit residents, able to read at a ninth-grade level, and have a high school diploma or GED. If the resident doesn’t have a GED, the Detroit at Work program will help them earn one and get them ready for the next cohort. Detroit at Work will also lead intake for Michigan Central training programs and provide wrap-around support to ensure Detroiters succeed, such as childcare and transportation.
Detroit at Work states it currently has more than 7,000 jobs available for Detroit residents, and has helped place 40,000 people since launching in 2017. The group has helped residents earn a GED and gain skills through efforts such as Learn to Earn, which pays Detroiters as they learn skills.
Founded by Terry and Evette Ellis in Los Angeles in 2020, ChargerHelp! is a technology company created to help bridge the gaps between site hosts, EV charger network providers, and equipment manufacturers.
Michigan Central is working on additional training programs for Detroiters and is committed to having at least 100 city residents certified each year. Those interested in furthering their careers can go to Skills Programming to sign up to be notified when more opportunities are available.
