£500k investment in our new electric and hybrid electric vehicle training centre

Local auto technicians and sustainability champions were invited to hear about the industry and trends from renowned automotive author, Tom Denton, alongside Principal and CEO, Matthew Burgess, and Curriculum Lead, Jon Harman. 

Denton said: “Electric vehicles are the future of transport, and they consume much less electricity than hydrogen cars. Working on high voltage electric vehicles – some being over 1,000 volts – is covered by the Electricity at Work Regulations 1989; it is therefore essential that auto technicians are trained properly and qualified to repair and service them safely, and to meet their legal requirements. 

“The courses on offer at GC are excellent value and the team makes good use of all the amazing testing and diagnostic equipment they have invested in.” 

To support automotive employers in upskilling their workforce to meet the 2030 deadline, we are currently delivering Skills Bootcamps in electric vehicle and now offer four affordable short courses, ranging from one to two days: 

• IMI Light Vehicle Inspection Technician – starting Tuesday 14 March 
• Automotive Refrigerant Handling (F-Gas) - starting Tuesday 4 April 
• IMI Level 2 Award in EV/HEV Routine Maintenance – starting Tuesday 7 March 
• Level 3 Award in EV/HEV System Repair and Replacement – starting Wednesday 8 March 

Further Institute of Motor Industry (IMI) courses will be added to over the coming months, including Level 2 awards in Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) calibration and MOT testing; Level 3 awards in automotive air conditioning servicing and maintenance, and diagnosing, rectifying and recalibrating ADAS components; and a Level 4 award in the diagnosis, testing and repair of EV/HEV and components. 

In addition to five on-site EV charge points, our industry-standard equipment reflects what automotive technicians will be using in their garages. This includes high voltage-compliant tools and testers, a dual-gas air conditioning machine, EV Picoscope and Snap-on, Launch, Bosch and Autel diagnostic equipment, including AutoData, Hayne Pro and Boach technical data.

We're proud to be the only FE college in the UK to have an Autel IA900WA ADAS calibration system, making us the go-to place for automotive training. 

Principal Matthew Burgess said: “There are 10,000 people employed in the motor industry in Gloucestershire alone, and electric vehicle sales increased by 40% last year. There is already a significant gap in the number of auto technicians who have the skills to work on electric vehicles.

“In addition to our new range of short courses for professionals, we are working with awarding bodies to embed these skills into our full-time courses and qualifications and are aiming for Gloucester to be recognised as a centre of excellence for EV training. 

“Now is an exciting time for our learners to be able to work with cutting-edge equipment and gain the skills to stay ahead of the curve – further developing their career prospects – as well as for employers, who have the opportunity to upskill their staff quickly and cost effectively, enabling them to be ready for the electric car revolution.” 

There are currently 680,000 electric cars on UK roads, plus 455,000 plug-in hybrids, however just 13 per cent of automotive technicians are EV qualified. 

The latest AutoTrader UK Road to 2030 report found that alternative fuel vehicles will make up 34% (11.3m) of the total car parc by 2030, creating a need of 77,000 TechSafe qualified technicians by this date. 

The new range of EV/HEV courses further supports our GC Zero campaign to become carbon neutral before 2030 – following our move over to renewable energy to power our campuses last summer. 

For more information, and to book an EV/HEV short course, click here, or call 0345 155 2020.