DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. — Goodwill launched a new program Tuesday to grow the electric vehicle workforce. Workers will go through a four-week program and start making $30 per hour.
One of those workers is Adrian Johnson, who has a knack for technology. He brought the knack from the Rust Belt of the Midwest to Georgia's roads and the next innovation of transportation.
“I love working with tech," Johnson said. "I like fixing things with my hands, and I like technical things. I don't want to be the old person afraid of technology or afraid of how things are changing. I want to adapt to whatever new phases come in technology-wise with cars, cell phones."
Johnson plugged into the new Clean Tech Infrastructure Academy, a training program set up by Goodwill, Accenture, and others to develop a workforce for Georgia's growing electric vehicle industry.
A press conference was held Tuesday to celebrate the launch of the program at the Goodwill location off Lawrenceville Highway in Decatur.
Keith Parker, president and CEO of Goodwill of North Georgia, said technicians will learn to set up and maintain EV charging stations, solar panels and heat pumps.
"We look at all the things that can serve as barriers to stop people from taking on these opportunities: transportation, healthcare, a host of other things. We provide those things for you while you’re here," Parker said. "We are particularly good at helping people with barriers to employment, people coming out of the criminal justice system, people with disabilities, folks who may be retired military."
There are over a dozen people in the first cohort of technicians set to be trained. Kianna Scott works with Charger Help, a startup that's developed the curriculum of the program. She said the California-based company has impacted more than 16,000 charging stations.
“Outside looking in, it probably does look like rocket science," Scott said. “Folks will learn electrical energy fundamentals; they learn electrical safety and codes, commissioning a charging station, preventative maintenance, and corrective maintenance.”
Scott said aspiring technicians do not need a college degree. They will go to work in a landscape that's seen billions in EV-related investment in Georgia from Kia, Hyundai, Rivian and several battery companies.
"The new and the old have come together and I think we've really aligned on the vision and the mission here, which is to make sure we continue to provide access, continue to improve equity, continue to open the doors to the information," Scott said. “This space is not a gig space; it’s not just a one-and-done. It is going to stay around.”
The Clean Tech Infrastructure Academy is planning to expand to Nashville, Houston and Detroit in the coming months, according to Goodwill staff. Johnson is hoping the experience charges his love for getting people from Point A to Point B.
"I don't really have a cap or roof of where I want to be," Johnson said. "I'm just open to whatever opportunities that interest me and come along with this position."