San Jose's Evergreen Valley College unveils new auto shop

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- It's no surprise a shortage of auto technicians across the country has some shops scrambling for help. Now, Silicon Valley community colleges are doing their part to replenish the workforce.

The Evergreen Valley College unveiled its new $13 million state-of-the-art automotive technology center on Wednesday. As more of these jobs become technical, educators say more students should look at it like a career.

If you take a quick look around, you'll see it isn't your average auto shop. "It's really difficult to get a new generation to get interested in this industry. It's kind of got a stigma about it, nuts and bolts type of industry," Steve Rogers said.

But educators at Evergreen Valley College are trying to change that. "Things have changed, cars don't really break the way they used to, anymore. You don't do a lot of greasy work anymore, it's either maintenance, or diagnostic work," Evergreen Valley College spokesperson Brad Bergholdt said.

At a cost of $13 million approved by taxpayers, the 25,000-square foot facility has been designed with student success in mind.

There are 20 lab spaces, along with the latest equipment to help train students for jobs in the electric car industry.

Nearly 250 students are enrolled in automotive technology classes at any given time.

School officials said close to 80 percent complete a certificate program and go on to secure a job in the industry.

In fact, students that come out of the EVC program have gone on to work for companies such as Honda, Chrysler and Tesla.