Tesla START Program Grand Opening at Lincoln Tech’s Denver Campus

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Scott: We are at the Denver campus at the grand opening of our Tesla Start program. Really exciting. We spent almost a million dollars building out this facility. Tesla is so proud of it. We're so proud of it. The students that just spoke just gave great stories of the excitement that they have for having gone to Lincoln and now going to Tesla. And it's a different company than a lot of other companies. Tesla is growing and expanding and bringing in lots of new opportunities. So, they're talking about things besides just fixing cars that they might be able to do at Tesla, which is also exciting. We didn't know that those opportunities existed for them. And it's exciting to be looking at the future.

Adeel: The program at Lincoln Tech was probably one of the best programs I've ever been in. I learned so much. I knew almost nothing, even though I went out there, worked on my own car, I really didn't know anything. But ever since Lincoln Tech, I can tell you parts of an engine, I can tell you how alignments work, and I can tell you everything.

Dorian: Yeah. So, at Lincoln Tech I graduated with diesel engines and alternative fuels. My time through the diesel program was awesome because I never really had any experience working on a big rig. I'd worked on small-scale diesels like my 7.3 Excursion, but other than that, I really hadn't seen anything to the masses of how big the diesels were. And Lincoln really did prep me for that.

Eugene: Lincoln Tech is awesome to partnership with. We love being able to interview their graduates because they already have the base set of skills that we look for when we bring on technicians. So, they already have that initial foundation of automotive knowledge of how things function. And then we can take on it and just describe the differences of how Tesla goes about things.

Adeel: There's a lot of similar components from Tesla and many gas cars, but I think there's a difference between...a lot of it can be software and things change daily.

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Eugene: Our vehicles are very different from what a lot of people are used to. We obviously have no engine or transmission, so our powertrains are much different. We use electric motors to propel the vehicle. We've noticed that there's a big benefit to them having that initial foundational automotive training from Lincoln Tech before they get into the program. It does help us go into more advanced topics when they're in here. I don't have to start over and teach them, here are the four states of an air conditioning system, here are the alignment angles and why you're adjusting them, and how they influence the vehicle. I can go straight into, "Okay, here's how we operate an AC system on a Tesla, here's how you diagnose it, and here's how you repair it."

Dorian: Tesla START is kind of one of a kind. Sure, you could go and apply, but this is three steps ahead. You're getting all this knowledge while you're getting paid as an intern. It's typically a no-brainer. It's helping everyone. You're gaining the experience with the technicians in the classroom, learning our programs, like, all the things that you would typically be nervous about. Like, people are afraid of electric vehicles because they think they're so difficult to work on, but then once you get in here and you see it and then you're meeting the techs that are working on it, it's really, really fun. And it's nice to be able to pass on some of the stuff that I've learned with now being at the service center and kind of encouraging them saying, "Hey, this is kind of what it looks like. Like, I came, I was at the same position as you, and, like, here's what I'm doing." With Tesla alone, you have all these other opportunities. You don't have to be a technician. You could go to the management side, wherever you feel, like, comfortable for you is where you'll end up.

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Adeel: I think it's a very smooth transition. Let's say you wanted to go in for gas cars, and then suddenly, halfway through, you're like, "Oh, maybe EVs would be great," Lincoln Tech does a great job to prepare you for both gas cars, diesels, and electric cars.

Dorian: I think it's really awesome because people, like, nowadays, like, everything's going towards electric stuff, and so, being able to understand it for your future and maybe your kids because who knows what those vehicles are gonna look like. It is different, but it's not necessarily too complicated to understand. You'll have the access and the ability to, like, learn these things through START and through Lincoln because in reality, it's nothing different other than a supply.