My morning routine is simple. After getting ready for the day, I end up in the kitchen for my gluten-free waffle with natural jam and Florida honey, and a black cup of coffee. Then, I scroll through my phone for the latest news.

Prevalent in my news feed is the news for everything automotive. Electric vehicles continue to dominate the headlines, although the conversations have shifted. In the past, Tesla was synonymous with EVs. Today, the conversation has expanded. Automotive news reported that Chevrolet, Ford, Volkswagen, Rivian, Mercedes-Benz and BMW are growing and taking EV market share away from Tesla, Hyundai, Kia, Audi, Nissan, and Polestar. It is evident that the EV market is dynamic and that legacy OEMs are beginning to find their place in the EV sphere.

In the first quarter of 2023, there was a 7% growth of electric cars and trucks in the United States. “EV registrations … increase(d) … 63%. Total industry registrations were just over 3.69 million … an increase of 8.4%” (Automotive News, 2023). As our industry continues to ebb and flow between EV adoption, ICE vehicles and alternative fuels, our state is looking into expanding the EV infrastructure and workforce.

At CFADA, we have been asked to help prepare the future workforce for all things EV. We have been working diligently with the Florida Department of Education Career and Technical Education team to create a registered Automotive EV Apprenticeship Program. We are excited to announce that the program was officially approved on May 5, 2023. Over the next few weeks, you will begin to hear more about this program and how you can become a part of training and employing the next generation of technicians.

The registered Automotive EV Apprenticeship Program is the first such apprenticeship in our entire nation. We are the first to begin to build the talent pipeline. Our state leadership has entrusted us with such an important task because they know that dealers know how to get things done.

So, as the world continues to evolve, new possibilities abound. The way people and goods move will continue to be central to our economies. This means that your role will continue to be a very important part of our economic well-being in the products that you sell, the services that you provide, and the talent that you employ.

Thank you for all you do!