Tesla pulls technician training program at Suffolk County Community College
Suffolk County Community College graduated its first class of students in the Tesla START program in 2019. Credit: Suffolk County Community College / Victoria Pendzick
Tesla is ending an automotive technician training program that has been offered at Suffolk County Community College for the past four years after the electric carmaker said the college could no longer meet its need for space.
College officials said they hope Tesla will reinstate the initiative, known as the START program, which trained technicians to become certified to work at Tesla service centers.
“Tesla has been a valued partner who wanted to expand its program beyond the available space in our program’s facility, despite a planned expansion to a new larger facility,” SCCC spokesman Drew Biondo said in an email.
“The college endeavored to accommodate Tesla’s needs and hopes to return them to our program,” Biondo said.
Tesla occupied approximately 2,000 square feet in the college's 20,000-square-foot Automotive Technology Building at the Ammerman Campus in Selden, which is enough space for four vehicles, Biondo said. Tesla wanted space for eight cars or roughly 5,000 to 6,000 square feet, he said.
The college is planning a new 55,000-square-foot automotive facility for its Michael J. Grant Campus in Brentwood, with construction expected to begin in 2024 or 2025, Biondo said.
Mechanics need specialized training to work on electric cars, and technicians are generally trained to work on a specific vehicle brand, according to the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics.
The 12-week Tesla automotive program is only offered at eight schools, with locations in California, Colorado, Florida, North Carolina, Texas and North Carolina, according to the Tesla website. The Suffolk program was previously the only one in the Northeast.
The automaker also helps place students at its service centers upon completion, but they often must be willing to relocate.
The number of EVs on the road is expected to increase in the coming years, with President Joe Biden setting a goal of half of all car sales being electric by 2030.
Gov. Kathy Hochul has said New York is aiming for all new car sales to be zero-emissions by 2035.
However, the overall need for mechanics is expected to decrease because EVs typically have fewer parts and require less maintenance, according to the BLS.
A manager for Tesla's service training program informed the college in a Feb. 7 letter obtained by Newsday it would be terminating its agreement with SCCC on April 7. The letter asks the college to turn in all of Tesla’s tools, equipment and vehicles.
Tesla, which disbanded its public relations department in 2020, could not be reached for comment.
Legis. Kevin McCaffrey (R-Lindenhurst), presiding officer of the Suffolk County Legislature, said he was disappointed to learn Tesla would be leaving the college.
McCaffrey said SCCC officials didn’t alert legislators or ask for their assistance and questioned if the college did enough to retain the partnership.
“The legislature has been more than willing partners with the college to ensure their success,” McCaffrey said. “And right now, we don't believe that the college has done enough to keep the legislature informed.”
Biondo said college officials have reached out repeatedly to Tesla to resume the program and will continue to do so.
McCaffrey said he plans to ask SCCC President Edward Bonahue to attend the legislature’s next education and labor committee meeting on March 29 to explain what happened with the Tesla partnership.
The Tesla course was offered once each semester, and 62 students have competed the program since 2019, Biondo said.
The college still has partnerships with automakers such as General Motors, Ford and Toyota, according to the SCCC website.
Vera Chinese joined Newsday in 2017 after working as an editor for the East End lifestyle publication northforker and a general assignment reporter for the New York Daily News.
