Helping to train workers for an EV-focused future

A new injection of funding to Colorado Mountain College will help develop EV vehicle and charger maintenance programs, benefiting both students and the local auto repair community

Colorado Mountain College intends to add electric vehicle and charger maintenance to its popular automotive technology program thanks to a grant provided by the federal National Science Foundation.

The NSF awarded CMC nearly $475,000 to help the college develop curriculum materials and purchase additional equipment to create a range of EV and charger maintenance courses that will serve both concurrent high school students and adults already working in the automotive industry.

Clayton Allison, assistant professor of CMC’s automotive service technology program, spearheaded more than a year of work on the grant. He said it will be instrumental in offering vital EV repair and maintenance training to communities outside of the Front Range.

As EV ownership continues to grow in Colorado – almost 1 million are expected to be on the road in the state by 2030 from about 183,000 today – the need for skilled local vehicle maintenance will also increase, as will demand for those skilled to help repair the ever-growing network of EV charging stations.

“EVs are here and are the future for what we see, as more money is being put into infrastructure,” Allison said. “This will help us start building those courses and offer more training to local communities, as it fits a need we’ve seen in the industry.”

According to Jim Jones, program director of CMC’s skilled crafts and trades department, the funding will directly support the creation of new EV-centered coursework at the recently renovated and upgraded Glenwood Springs Automotive Technology Center.

That facility, located at 504 27^th Street, is a collaboration between CMC and the Roaring Fork School District, and has long served local automotive education students. Jones said the building has been pre-wired to allow the high-voltage equipment required to service and test electric cars, trucks and SUVS.

“We have plenty of space and this will allow us to invest in the absolute latest and greatest technology, focusing on EV electrical architecture, diagnosis and repair,” Jones said.

CMC’s new vehicle and charging maintenance curriculum materials will complement existing, traditional automobile maintenance courses, including introduction to auto shop, engine, brakes, transmissions, automotive electrical, steering, suspension and heating/cooling systems. Courses are currently offered in Glenwood Springs, as well as at CMC campuses in Rifle, Salida and Vail Valley at Edwards, serving approximately 200 students per semester.

“We hope to have pilot versions of these new curricula during the summer of 2026 and should be able to test the new material in our existing courses beginning in the fall of 2026, with courses and certificates to follow in later years,” Jones said.

Jones is also bringing together an EV program advisory board that includes organizations with a vested interest in electric technology, with Holy Cross Energy, the Roaring Fork Transit Authority, Aspen One and Eagle County government, as well as EV charging provider Winn-Marion.

He said he hopes to work with local and regional automobile dealerships and repair shops to cater the new programs to provide training and support to both first-time students and people already working in the automotive and EV electrical field.

For more information on the grant, the projected EV-related courses and CMC’s existing skilled trades programming, contact Jim Jones, program director of skilled trades, jjjones@coloradomtn.edu or Clayton Allison, assistant professor of automotive technology, callison@coloradomtn.edu.