Tesla Partners with Northland Workforce Training Center to Train Interns

Tesla Partners with Northland Workforce Training Center to Train Interns

Story originally published June, 2023 via Buffalo Business First
By Katie Anderson
Photos by Joed Viera

Tesla Inc. is partnering with the Northland Workforce Training Center to onboard entry-level workers.

From July 24 through Sept. 1, Northland will run a manufacturing development program for interns and apprentices at Tesla (Nasdaq: TSLA).

Northland CEO Stephen Tucker said the six-week program will target recent high school graduates and underemployed people and prepare them for a career in manufacturing. He said the partnership began when Tesla’s staff policy adviser, Shatorah Roberson, reached out to him, asking if Northland had the capability to provide the training.

“They do have a need to hire candidates in production, and they reached out to us to see if we could upskill their entry-level workers,” Tucker said. “We met with their managers to see what competencies they needed people to learn, and then we outlined the program.”

The program will give participants a basic understanding of electronics, math, hand tools, automation and safety.

“When you’re working in a manufacturing environment, safety is a No. 1 priority,” Tucker said.

Participants can apply on Tesla’s website, after which they’ll be vetted then enter the training program at Northland. Upon completion of the Northland training, they will then “transition into a full-time production associate in the Buffalo Gigafactory, working with the same equipment and systems you learned about in the classroom and understanding the manufacturing process,” according to the Tesla application page.

During the program, Tesla interns will be paid and eligible for benefits.

Tucker said Tesla is compensating Northland Workforce Training Center for the program and the curriculum development. He said they’re looking for between 10 and 20 people for the program, but that will also depend on how many Tesla needs and how many they identify for their process.”

Last year, Northland Workforce Training Center partnered with Moog Inc. for a similar program, and it’s also done one for Fresenius Kabi USA.

“All of them are a little different,” Tucker said. “We have an 85% job placement rate, and the average salary of those jobs is about $45,000. The more people we graduate and the more people we place in jobs is putting money back into the economy.”

➡ There is still time to APPLY!