As the transition to electric transportation accelerates, the workforce gap—and the diversity within it—presents a critical challenge. This session explores the evolution of the "EV Academy" model, an intensive initiative designed by the non-profit organization Women Who Charge (WWC) to intercept students at the high school level and pivot them toward the clean energy economy.

Following a successful 2024-2025 pilot program with Denver Public Schools (DPS), WWC has returned with an evolved, high-impact framework. This proposal details the strategic shift from a pilot phase to a scalable regional model, specifically highlighting the launch of the "EV Academy - Aurora Spring Break Edition." Orchestrating this level of deep industry integration costs approximately $20,000 per academy, ensuring a premium, high-fidelity experience that moves beyond passive career awareness into high-stakes technical immersion.

The focus of this session is to demonstrate how non-profits can bridge the gap between under-served juniors and seniors and the clean transportation industry. We showcase a diverse career spectrum, exposing students to everything from Harley-Davidson electric motorcycles to the high-voltage maintenance yards for light rail trains (RTD) and the EV charging stations managed by the City of Denver. We will detail a week-long, project-based curriculum that combines technical fundamentals with the "Charging Plaza Design Challenge," where students solve real-world land-use problems and present to professional juries.

Recommendation: To achieve true equity in workforce development, stakeholders must move beyond one-day "career fairs" and invest in multi-day, immersive experiences that provide comprehensive wraparound support. We recommend a "neutral convener" model where a non-profit coordinates the complex logistics between school districts and industry partners, ensuring that curriculum remains high-tech while remaining accessible to first-generation students.

Participants will learn how we remove participation barriers through coordinated logistics, including transportation, nutrition, Spanish-language translation, and on-site chaperoning. This session serves as a case study to show it can be done, providing a practical example of how organizations can successfully engage 20+ industry partners to inspire a diverse, technically proficient pipeline before students graduate.