<body><div><figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=07BmUH_1FMbW1cK00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=07BmUH_1FMbW1cK00" width="670" height="732" ><figcaption>The Panasonic training program at the Advanced Manufacturing Training Center.</figcaption></figure>The Tesla training program at Truckee Meadows Community College has proven so successful for preparing the manufacturing workforce of the publicly-traded electric vehicle manufacturer that it’s become the de facto onboarding process for new hires at the company’s Gigafactory at Tahoe Reno Industrial Center.TMCC has taken two classrooms offline at the William N Pennington Applied Technology Center on Edison Way to run training classes continuously from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. The TMCC-Tesla partnership began in 2017 with 85 apprentices; today, nearly 130 apprentices are trained each month. Apprentices earn 11 college credits in four weeks by completing the Tesla Manufacturing Development Program.“It is amazing what (Tesla’s) hiring needs are,” said Dr. Kimberley Harrell, dean of the college’s applied sciences division. “They're such a gigantic corporation that it is hard to fathom how many employees they need.”The journey to working the manufacturing lines at Tesla starts with an introduction to robotics, automation, machining and logistics at the technology center on Edison Way. Apprentices are paid to attend Tesla Manufacturing Development Program in part through the state’s Workforce Innovations for a New Nevada Fund, which is administered by the Governor’s Office of Economic Development.“It’s very intense – but without the partnership of TMCC, we wouldn’t be producing students with the knowledge that we are right now,” said senior recruiter Aimee Frugoli in a statement earlier this year.Apprentices who complete the program also undertake an additional 2,000 hours of on-the-job training at the Tesla manufacturing center.TMCC also has a key partnership with Panasonic Energy Corp., of North America. The Skills Machine Technician Apprenticeship was developed in conjunction for the battery manufacturer that shares space in the Gigafactory with Tesla. The 12-unit college credit program that culminates in a certificate covers motors and drives, electrical circuitry, fluid power and productive maintenance.Classes are taught at the Advanced Manufacturing Training Center on East Plumb Lane. In May of this year the first graduating class of 19 students who were paid full regular wages by Panasonic to attend the training program.“Skilled machine technicians represent a critical evolution in manufacturing,” said Alexis Eberth, senior manager of North American apprenticeships. “This role blends the expertise of a machine operator with the technical capability of a maintenance technician.”The SMT program has evolved since the Advanced Manufacturing Training Center opened in 2024, TMCC’s Harrell said, shifting away from online instruction to vital hands-on training. The goal is to upskill 100 employees annually, she noted.Funding is supported by a $1.8 million award from the Economic Development Administration Tech Hub. The funding runs through 2029. TMCC invested more than $400,000 to bring in new training equipment and hire a dedicated instructor at the Advanced Manufacturing Training Center. The program was modeled after a similar Panasonic training program in Kansas City, Harrell said.The Panasonic training program upskills existing employees and can provide them with pathways to career advancement, and provides critical training for employees to help keep production lines moving at optimum capacity. The Gigafactory at TRI Center is capable of producing 5.5 million lithium-ion battery cells each day, or more than 2 billion annually.Panasonic plans to scale production at the Gigafactory from 38 gigawatts annually to increased capacity between 26 and 79 percent by 2030, its former North American president told NNBW in 2024 when the Advanced Manufacturing Training Center opened.“Finding an engineer in that giant factory to quickly get to where there was a problem on the line required so much downtime in terms of production that (Panasonic) wanted to cross-train some internal folks so that they can deal with problems when they come up,” Harrell said.“It also improves employee morale to be able to continue to learn and grow with the company, and to have a company that will invest in letting you go to school for four weeks in a row full-time,” she added.Employees can also apply those 12 credits earned through the SMT program to associates or bachelor’s degrees in manufacturing or other fields that can increase their ability to make upward career movements or enter management or training roles.“In this world of increasing automation in entirely technical fields, we’re very cognizant about the next level,” Harrell said. “For employers, it's easier to train employees who've been working out for the next level that they will encounter in the workforce than to start from scratch and try to bring in somebody at that next new level. Those credits can be really meaningful benchmarks when somebody's looking at your resume for (an opportunity) to move up.”</div></body>

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The Tesla training program at Truckee Meadows Community College has proven so successful for preparing the manufacturing workforce of the publicly-traded electric vehicle manufacturer that it’s become the de facto onboarding process for new hires at the company’s Gigafactory at Tahoe Reno Industrial Center. TMCC has taken two...

Tesla, Panasonic training programs at TMCC growing

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The Tesla training program at Truckee Meadows Community College has proven so successful for preparing the manufacturing workforce of the publicly-traded e

Tesla, Panasonic training programs at TMCC growing

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