Heartland Community College leads the charge in electric vehicle education programs
Written by Giavana Escobedo on February 8, 2025
Image Courtesy of Illinois State University
NORMAL, Ill. – Heartland Community College introduced a new electrical vehicle certification program. Adam Campbell, Dean of Career and Technical Education, talks about what this program will consist of and why HCC felt it was important to establish it at their institution.
“The certificate itself is called the Energy Systems Charging Infrastructure Technician Program,” Campbell said. “It’s only a seven-credit hour certificate…it consists of two, three credit hour courses and then an OSHA course.”
Being one of the only community colleges that offer an EV certification program, Heartland felt that it was important for this program to be implemented so it could be a viable career choice for upcoming students. The certification process with EV’s can happen in as little as a semester, to serve as a building block for more advanced certificates working with electric vehicles.
A large driving point for getting this program started at HCC was the surge of electric vehicles in the state of Illinois, especially through the electric vehicle company, Rivian.
“…it provides us a great pipeline to Rivian individuals who are very familiar with it, and Rivian being one of the largest manufacturing employers in the state of Illinois,” Campbell said. “They certainly need a lot of folks coming in with a background in technology.”
Rivian Employee Fallon Gates explained how this new certification could improve the electric vehicle industry
“Rivian is proud to partner with the Illinois Green Economy Network and Illinois community colleges, including Heartland Community College, to help students interested in learning about a career in the electric vehicle industry. Educational programs like this not only support a steady pipeline of qualified talent but also drive innovation with fresh ideas from the next generation.”
A large part of the development of electric vehicles is what it does for local businesses, consumers, as well as the community around them. Gates explained the long-term benefits of EVs
“To build the kind of future our kids and our kids’ kids deserve, extraordinary steps must be taken to stop the carbonization of our atmosphere. This requires individuals and entire industries to come together in ways we never have before to transition the world toward sustainable energy.”
HCC also offers an associate’s degree in EV technology. They were the first community college to offer an EV training program, beginning in 2021.
