Electric vehicle training facility opens in Warwick
A £477,000 electric vehicle training facility has been completed at Warwick Trident College, where the next generation of motor vehicle specialists will be developed.
College group WCG, which includes Warwick Trident College, has partnered with consultants Miretur to create the facility which will support students on automotive courses at the college.
Funded by the Department of Education, the facility will also be used in training programmes developed by Miretur, which create awareness of electric vehicle and battery technology, the health and safety processes associated and also aid adult learners in reskilling into the sector. More than 60 students have already embarked on a course around basic awareness of electric vehicles.
The workshop is home to three electric vehicles, one hybrid, one plug-in hybrid and one fully electric – with specialist tools and diagnostics equipment also available.
Alan May, director of Warwick Trident College, said: “This will be an important new facility and vital resource in equipping our learners with the skills required to support one of the country’s fastest growing sectors.
“It was vital we partnered with an industry expert to create the facility, and by working with Miretur we are confident that the training that will be delivered here will directly support the needs of the industry.
“We will initially be introducing our full-time students to the facility and then also using it as part of Coventry and Warwickshire Adult Learning (CWAL) initiative. We are also exploring opportunities for apprentices to utilise the facility, if it is relevant to their apprenticeship and/or employer”.
Leanne Booth, from Miretur added: ““The facility at Trident college will enable learners to gain real world practical skills to work in environments that work with electric vehicle high voltage batteries and enables them to gain knowledge of safe workplace practices – ensuring upskilled workforces is imperative to move forward in the effort to adapt skills for electric vehicle maintenance.
“Learners can use the training facility to safely develop knowledge and build on skills in preparation to work with electric vehicles in their workplace”.
