Congressman Pete Aguilar and U.S. Department of Energy Secretary Jennifer M. Granholm tour SBVC’s clean energy program

On September 1, Rep. Pete Aguilar and U.S. Department of Energy Secretary Jennifer M. Granholm visited San Bernardino Valley College (SBVC) to meet with faculty and students enrolled in the Clean Energy Vehicle Maintenance, Repair Training Program and toured SBVC’s Applied Technology Center.

“We just toured SBVC’s advanced technology program. We’re talking directly to students that are being trained for clean energy jobs. I’m proud to see our community creating some positive movement so our students can have good careers in the future that are locally based to meet our climate and energy demands and the requirements of the Inflation Reduction Act,” said Aguilar. 

One focal topic of the walk-through was the correlation between the college’s programming and the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022. This act will lower costs for families, combat the climate crisis, and reduce the national deficit. 

“Thank you so much for your leadership, Rep. Aguilar. It incentivizes all of these jobs, training – you name it. Clean energy is imperative as we are sitting here in the middle of a heat wave. We need to address these issues. Thank you so much for bringing me here,” U.S. Department of Energy Secretary Jennifer M. Granholm said.

Along with Aguilar and Granholm, SBVC’s Interim President, Dr. Scott W. Thayer,

Vice President Dr. Dina Humble, and Dean Dr. Vanessa Thomas, toured the Applied Technology Center to learn about its electric truck technician program. 

“We met with some incredibly talented students who are learning the skills they need for the jobs of tomorrow,” concluded Aguilar. 

SBVC broke ground on its forthcoming Applied Technology Building in April 2022. The 108,000-square-foot building prepares students for excellent paying careers in the ever-growing electric automotive repair, water technology, modern machining, and HVAC technological industries.

For more information on the program, visit valleycollege.edu.