Lone Star College is answering the call for more educational opportunities in underserved areas and a trained workforce for the electrical and automotive industries.
“Lone Star College understands the need to offer innovative programming that prepares students to be successful in new fields that are rapidly growing,” said Vice Chancellor of Academic and Workforce Success Dwight Smith.
LSC will offer the Electrical Technology Certificate Level I at the LSC-Houston North Victory this fall. Students will learn residential and commercial wiring, electrical drafting plans, national electrical code and safety essentials. The college will provide needed equipment for hands-on learning.
Rising high school senior Levi Reynolds first heard about Lone Star College’s automotive offerings from his father, Henry, and is in the process of applying to the school now.
“I not only want a degree that deals with the theoretical, I also want something that’s practical and in demand,” said the younger Reynolds. “The Lone Star automotive path is right up my alley.”
“As soon as I told my son about the program his eyes lit up,” shared the senior Reynolds. “He’s got extra motivation for his upcoming senior year, though he’s already a highly motivated, self-starter.”
“The Electrical Technology Certificate will educate students on the foundational knowledge they need to be successful in the electrical field,” said John Maynard, Ed.D., LSC-Houston North instructional vice president. “The program will make students more attractive to potential employers, which should assist them in obtaining gainful employment.”
The level I certificate will feed into LSC’s Electric Vehicle Charging Station Installation and Maintenance Technician Certificate II program that starts in spring 2024 at the Bethune Empowerment Center in Acres Homes. This initiative is in partnership with the city of Houston, advocating for more electric vehicles on the road by 2030.
“The Bethune Empowerment Center represents so much more than brick and mortar,” said Houston’s Mayor Sylvester Turner, in a statement. “It is a testament to what collaboration, support, commitment, dedication, resiliency, and public, private and community partnerships can achieve.”
The Bethune Empowerment Center will have a lab with wall-mounted (homes and residential buildings) and pedestal (commercial properties) charging stations to train LSC students on installing, wiring and troubleshooting these charging stations. As more electric cars hit the roads, the demand for accessible and reliable charging stations and more trained technicians will increase.
“As the community sees more electric vehicles on the road, they may not know the wiring or the importance of effective electrical vehicle charging, but our students will,” said Sheremetria Davis, LSC-Houston North workforce associate dean. “Additionally, our students will have the training to properly install, repair and maintain charging stations to support the increase of electric vehicles we will start to see on the roads of Houston.”
The Electrical Technology Certificate Level I and Electric Vehicle Charging Station Installation and Maintenance Technician Certificate Level II are part of LSC’s Electrical Technology program offered at LSC-Houston North. The Electrical Technology AAS Degree program is available at LSC-North Harris, LSC-Tomball and LSC-Creekside Center. For more information, visit LoneStar.edu/Programs-Of-Study/Electrical-Technology.
