De Anza College in Cupertino has launched a new program that will train incoming Tesla engineering technicians for their manufacturing jobs with the company.
Alongside Tesla, De Anza College co-developed the program’s 480-hour curriculum, which will provide hands-on training in manufacturing safety, mechanics, instrumentation, electrical systems and diagnostics to its participants. The program is designed to prepare incoming Tesla employees for future test engineering, research and developmental work with the company.
On July 20, the first cohort of 15 technicians began the inaugural training program at the college. According to De Anza College, these technicians were chosen directly by Tesla, as will be the case in the program’s “initial phase.”
The partnership is part of De Anza College’s Contract Education program, where the college partners with regional employers to provide customized workforce training catered to industry-specific needs.
“We are excited to work with Tesla and to create training that can continue to evolve as technologies and workforce needs change,” Ram Subramaniam, vice president of instruction at De Anza College, said in a statement.
De Anza College’s agreement with Tesla currently covers two training cohorts, though the college “anticipates” the program will continue beyond these sessions.
In 2022, De Anza College’s Design and Manufacturing Technologies program received a $525,000 National Science Foundation grant, which it is using to support curriculum in robotics and additive manufacturing, with the aim of preparing students for local manufacturing jobs.
In 2025, the school announced the Silicon Valley Advanced Manufacturing Program in partnership with Foothill, Ohlone, Evergreen Valley and Mission colleges, San Jose State University, and manufacturing companies like Applied Materials and Tesla.
The four-year program provides manufacturing training to Latino, Black and female students – often underrepresented in the manufacturing field – and is funded by a $5.6 million grant from the U.S. Department of Labor.
Written by Adam Sutro for Bay City News.
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