Students will be working on solar panels, like ones above, in an upcoming workshop being offered at Evans campus on Sept. 20.

By Graham Henderson

Staff Writer

City College Evans campus is participating in the Advanced Transportation Technology and Energy initiative which will provide job training in alternative energies such as solar or wind energy and hybrid/fuel cell vehicles.

The initiative started about 15 years ago and has grown to 10 community colleges spread throughout California said David Dias, advanced transportation technology and energy coordinator at Evans campus. The initiative is such a success that some of its most popular workshops, such as hybrid vehicle training for program instructors, fill up within hours of being announced.

Currently Evans campus is offering forklift workshops through the initiative. Many students taking the workshops are part of San Francisco’s CityBuild program, which provides training and employment for low income residents.

“It’s cool,” said Noah King, a student in the CityBuild program working to get his forklift certification. “After this I could probably get a job at Home Depot while I’m finishing my training.”

City College is also moving towards having a full hybrid vehicle training program, which Dias hopes to offer by the fall 2009 semester. With hybrid cars becoming more common, the demand for technicians is growing. “When I had a hybrid, people would stare at you,” he said. “Now hybrids are totally mainstream”

“No other Bay Area community college offers hybrid courses,” said Joe Gumina, who teaches the forklift workshops as well as conventional automobile repair courses. When hybrid courses do start at City College, they will focus on repair and maintenance of hybrids from all manufacturers, not just Toyota’s ubiquitous Prius, said Gumina.

Gumina says another hurdle that must be cleared before the hybrid program can be started at City College is the donation of hybrid cars to the program, which could be difficult because hybrids are still relatively new, and car owners may not be in the position to donate them.

On September 20, the Evans campus will begin a solar power workshop. Students will work on a mock roof with a four by eight foot array of photo voltaic solar panels. “Students will disassemble it, find out how it works, and put it back together,” Dias said.