This spring, students from Sacramento City Unified School District got their first look at a new mobile classroom: a customized Rivian RCV 700 electric van full of battery chargers, safety gear, and components that’s being driven from school to school to introduce young people to careers in electric-vehicle battery manufacturing, engineering, and repair.
The rolling classroom is part of a first-of-its-kind new partnership between the California Masonic Foundation, Sacramento City Unified School District, and the California Energy, Power, and Innovation Collaborative (Cal EPIC). Through the deal, students at some of the district’s most under-resourced schools will have the opportunity to take a 10-week training class in precision manufacturing and green-energy technologies like EV maintenance. The aim is to offer a pathway to well-paid jobs in growing fields that don’t require a college degree.
