Campbell Union High School District student Demetri Vega Candelaria is on the road to a career in electric vehicle service, thanks to a program offered by San Jose\u2019s Metropolitan Education District, aka MetroED.<\/p>\n
Vega Candelaria is one of four students from the Electrical Vehicles\/Automotive Services\u00a0 program, offered under the auspices of MetroED\u2019s Silicon Valley Career Technical Education (SVCTE), who has been accepted into\u00a0Tesla\u2019s Pathway to START Internship Program. The eight-week electric vehicle service training program is designed to introduce participants to careers in the automotive industry while building fundamental mechanical and electrical skills.<\/p>\n
Students who successfully complete the internship may advance to\u00a0Tesla\u2019s START Program, a 16-week advanced technical training course. Upon successful completion of both programs, gradates become eligible for full-time employment opportunities with Tesla.<\/p>\n
Vega Candelaria credits his coursework at SVCTE with helping him gain the confidence and technical knowledge to pursue a career in the industry.<\/p>\n
\u201cSVCTE has helped me stay organized and productive,\u201d he said in a release. \u201cI\u2019ve also gained career readiness skills and hands-on experience with tools. Before, I didn\u2019t know much about certain parts, but being here helped me build a strong foundation.\u201d<\/p>\n
Another student accepted into Tesla\u2019s internship program enrolled at SVCTE after a career in customer service. Benjamin Bulygo, 45, had practical reasons for the move.<\/p>\n
\u201cI am currently homeless and living out of my car, \u201cBulygo said. \u201cMy car is the most important thing I have right now, and I realized I needed to learn how to take care of it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Despite those challenges, Bulygo continues to attend classes while working to cover the nearly $10,000 annual tuition required for adult students attending SVCTE. With support from a $5,000 scholarship from the\u00a0MetroED Foundation, Bulygo was able to pay for his first semester. He hopes his experience at Tesla will lead to a long-term career.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m excited to see if this can become a place where I can build a long-term career and grow,\u201d said Bulygo. \u201cHopefully, I can get my foot in the door at Tesla fulltime and see where the opportunity takes me.\u201d<\/p>\n
Cristina Zamora Ramirez and Steven Hernandez, both from San Jose\u2019s East Side Union High School District, are also SVCTE students who were accepted into Tesla\u2019s internship program.<\/p>\n
\u201cSVCTE has shown me a lot of different opportunities I can explore,\u201d said Zamora Ramirez. \u201cTesla stood out to me the most, and the course also introduced me to different college pathways I can pursue.\u201d<\/p>\n