IMI calls for better EV training

TECHNICIANS need to be better trained and require more skills to deal with electric vehicles, said the Institute of the Motor Industry.

The call follow the publishing of the Government’s response to the Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) Committee report ‘Electric vehicles: driving the transition’.

The IMI is hosting an Electric Vehicle Advisory Group meeting on tomorrow (February 5) at is Head Office in Hertfordshire. Attendees will be working to develop a Professional Standard that will safeguard the UK’s workforce of technicians by ensuring they are well trained and have the skills they need to repair electrified vehicles  safely.

Sales of electric, plug-in hybrid and hybrid vehicles have seen a sharp increase of 21% since 2017.

However, only around 3.5% of the UK’s 188,500 vehicle technicians are currently qualified with the skills to service and repair the high voltage components of this technology – the IMI is backing the BEIS Committee’s recommendations to grow EV-specific qualifications for motoring technicians across the sector.

Steve Nash, Chief Executive at the IMI, said: “The response to the BEIS Committee report is confirmation that Government must work with businesses to help workers develop their skills when it comes to new vehicle technology. There must be more focus on the skills needed if the UK is to become a world-leader in the manufacturing and repairing of electrified vehicles.

“It’s essential that Government and business work better together to embrace the opportunities that come with new technology; however an appropriately skilled workforce must be regarded as a prerequisite to achieving those opportunities.