DETROIT – As electric fever hits the U.S. auto market this year, businesses and schools across the country are investing in training the workforce needed to support the electric vehicles (EV) of the future. Vehya is one startup based in Detroit, Michigan playing a big role in recruiting, training, and deploying the green power workers of the future – electricians who will be needed to install and maintain EV chargers across the country.
Founded in Detroit, Vehya delivers targeted EV charging solutions that are designed for businesses, governments entities, and homeowners. The company makes choosing, installing and maintaining EV chargers simple and cost-effective. Vehya is supporting the U.S. build for the infrastructure needed for an all-electric mobility future. To support the exponential electric vehicle growth, CEO William McCoy is focused on training new EV charging professionals. This is an important task because, with more than 130 million homes and 30 million-plus businesses, there are less than 1 million licensed electricians employed in the U.S., according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. “Installation and service of EV chargers is what we do. Right now, in the U.S., we do not have enough electricians to meet the future demand for EVs. At Vehya we are using technology focused on preventing the all-electric future from coming to a grinding halt because of workforce logistics,” explains McCoy.
The U.S. American Jobs Plan and recent National Apprenticeship and Relaunching America’s Workforce Acts are helping build the infrastructure the U.S. needs, including providing $100 billion to develop workforce development programs geared to the carbon-neutral future that will power the U.S. economy. More than seven million jobs have been lost during the ongoing pandemic, and many will not return. This is just one reason why training workers today for the green jobs of the future is important.
“We are committed to creating more than 100,000 new EV charging and electrical professionals in the U.S. by 2030,” said William McCoy, CEO of Vehya. “With the new investment and support from Michigan and the federal government – we can identify, train, and deploy the workforce needed to get and keep America going all-electric. The future of our planet depends on it.”
Vehya’s platform combined with its workforce development program trains electricians in EV charging installation and service, improving proficiencies in key areas needed for the future of the industry. The company’s online platform also helps EV professionals connect with job opportunities, helping reduce the time it takes consumers to find an EV installer from months to days.
Detroit native DeLonte is one of the company’s trainees, working with Vehya to earn EV charging electrician credentials. As part of the program, he is partnered with a licensed electrician and gaining hands-on career experience. Vehya identifies EV workforce development program participants through its partnership with adult education programs and public-school systems. After graduating from high school, DeLonte met Vehya’s CEO when he was a customer at the Starbucks where he worked. McCoy pitched the training opportunity and career path to DeLonte, who hasn’t looked back since.
“It was an exciting opportunity to me because I was interested in becoming an electrical apprentice. When Will offered to connect me with an electrician, I knew it was meant to be,” said DeLonte. “Today, I am working with an experienced electrician and learning as much as I can about what a career as an electrician can offer me in the future.”
“As we head into the future where almost everything will depend on renewable electricity, young people like DeLonte and companies like Vehya must work together to build and support the infrastructure we need for an equitable carbon-neutral future,” said McCoy.
