Auto Tech Students Drive Into The Future With Tesla

Electric vehicle maker Tesla is bringing a job training program to Onondaga Community College. The news was announced during a press conference December 12 in the Atrium of the College’s Whitney Applied Technology Building. New York State Senator David Valesky (D-Oneida) and Assemblyman Al Stirpe (D-Cicero) are sponsoring legislation which would expand the current cap on Tesla’s retail presence in New York, allowing it to open sales and repair facilities Upstate. Degree-earning students in OCC’s Automotive Technology major would have the opportunity to participate in a job training program which could lead to employment with Tesla.

Tesla’s collaboration with OCC is exactly the type of opportunity Anton Prusakov is looking for. Prusakov is a high-achieving Automotive Technology major who will earn his degree next May. He’s a full time student who works full-time as a general service technician at Firestone in Liverpool. His sister works for Tesla in San Rafael, California where she writes instructions for rooftop solar tile installations. “My sister has been constantly telling me, ‘you should apply to Tesla!’ I never thought they would be here but now that they are coming I am very interested. I want to specialize in automotive electronics and that is one of the reasons Tesla appeals to me. Electronics is where the future is and I’m trying to get ahead of the curve. My mindset is that you have to keep learning.”