Free EV course helps save the planet and companies from turning away 20% of customers

Too good to be true you might think, but this is not an exaggerated marketing claim - they are the words of Andy Stocks, one of the adult learners on our Electric/Hybrid Vehicle System Repair and Replacement evening classes.

Andy is one of three employees from Watson’s MOT and Servicing Centre in Selby currently attending the Level 3 course, which leads to an Institute of the Motor Industry (IMI) qualification.

He points out that securing such invaluable training for staff at no cost to the company represented a “no-brainer” for Watson’s, who will no longer need to turn away one fifth of the work that comes their way.

That fraction would continue to soar with the Government committed to ensuring that 80% of new cars and 70% of new vans sold in Great Britain are zero emission by 2030 – a target that increases to 100% by 2035, prompting Andy to reason: “I’ve worked for Watson’s for the last 30 years and have seen how things in the industry have started to change over the last couple. 

“We are a small independent garage and are now finding that, out of every 10 customers we have, maybe two have electric cars and we are having to turn them away, because none of us are qualified at the moment to work on them. That’s a massive revenue to be throwing away and it’s only going to get bigger, so the opportunity to do this course came at the right time.

“There are six of us at the company and three of us are on the course. One of the reasons we have shied away from electric cars in the past is because we thought we’d have to pay for courses and, if that had been the case, then maybe we’d have still done it, but the company might have only sent one of us to go and get qualified so, the fact that this course was free, made it a no-brainer to get three of us to do it and I think these funded courses will push the whole industry forward if they are continued.”

The UKSPF (UK Shared Prosperity Fund) currently covers the £695 cost of the course for anybody who lives or works in a location with a North Yorkshire postcode.

Andy also feels the 6pm-9pm Monday night course hours facilitate a more accessible format of learning.  

“When you’re working for a small independent company, the opportunity to go on training courses doesn’t come along too often because of the expense of it, but also because there’s a consideration about being able to let staff have time off when they’re needed in the workplace,” he pointed out. “If you’re one person down on a ramp, you’ll know about it at the end of a week.

“So, the night classes make the courses more accessible and, while it might mean a long day if you also started work at 7.30 in the morning, I’ve found that, when I get home in Riccall at 9.20pm, I’m still buzzing from it, because I’m inquisitive and we’re learning stuff that’s changed my perspective on electric vehicles. The course is really enjoyable and it’s always nice to keep your brain ticking.”

Andy became an MOT Tester at 21, having progressed through his City & Guilds NVQ Levels 1, 2 and 3 at York College’s old site during the 1990s.

Commenting on the difference in facilities and the quality of tuition delivered by tutor John Clifton, he added: “When I went to College, we only had two ramps and there was a gantry above. It was a small space, but the workshop now is massive and the equipment is all top notch and state of the art.

“John is also spot on and very methodical, which comes from his own background as a mechanic, but he makes things interesting with a bit of light-hearted humour as well. The three hours go really quickly. 

“As mechanics, we are more visual learners and this course works well, because we’ll spend time in the classroom with John teaching us from a book, but then we come down to the workshop where we also put it into hands-on practice on the same evening, which is a massive bonus.”

Despite working on petrol and diesel engines for the past three decades, Andy went on to stress how he welcomes the move towards a more environmentally friendly motor industry.   

“When you’re in a workshop working on an engine and start the vehicle up, if you haven’t put the extractor fans on to take the gases out, then it will only take the garage a couple of minutes to fill up with exhaust fumes,” he reasoned. “So, if you’re in a city centre, people might forget it’s there and don’t realise the damage the vehicles are doing.

“With electric cars, you’re also gaining more now in terms of the vehicles’ performance than petrol engines and my hands are a lot cleaner when I work on them too!” 

As well as being a necessary means of acquiring skills to safeguard your future in the profession, York College Motor Vehicle tutor John Clifton also believes the course is essential for anybody that wants to avoid the potentially fatal dangers of working on electric vehicles without adequate training. 

“The motor trade is changing faster than any other trade at the moment in terms of the advances in technology and innovation and, if people don’t catch up or get on courses like this, they will be left behind and out of date but there is a safety aspect as well,” John declared. “These vehicles are quite capable of killing people, so have to be worked on by people with the right qualifications and capabilities, even at the very basic level.”

York College has invested a six-figure sum in workshop facilities and equipment to enhance its electrical vehicle tuition.

That has included the purchase of two cars – one hybrid and one fully electric – with John adding: “Gone are the days when we worked on £200 second-hand bangers!” 

EV boards that simulate a vehicle operating system but carry a lower and safer voltage have also been bought, along with a full set of insulated tools.

The course first equips students with basic electrical skills before moving on to acquiring knowledge of components, on-board systems and shutdown and reinstatement procedures, with theory learnt in the classroom underpinned by practical work on the EV boards and then the vehicles.

There is an approximate 50-50 balance between theoretical and practical learning, although the former is largely front-loaded at the beginning of the course.

Students are then tested at the end with two practical assessments and an exam.

John added that College keep pace with the constant advancements in the electric vehicle industry through our connection with the IMI and regular communication with employers and part suppliers, including when the annual YMF Car Parts Motor Trade Show is hosted on Campus.

Running alongside this course, meanwhile, is a City & Guilds Level 3 Tuesday evening class, also fully funded by the UKSPF, in Design & Installation of Domestic and Small Commercial Electric Vehicle Charging Installations, which is training students in the essential skills required to help meet the challenging targets of supplying 91,000 charging points in York and 500,000 nationwide by 2030.

It is also estimated that between 60% to 70% of the tuition York College’s Level 3 apprentices and full-time diploma students now receive is focussed on electrical systems and, even though John is a self-confessed “petrol head” who owns two sports cars and loves track driving, he acknowledges that change needs to happen for the planet’s future preservation.

“I see it as providing a solution to part of the problem,” he pointed out. “It’s one of the jigsaw pieces that needs to be put down.”

To learn more about our IMI Level 3 Award in Electric/Hybrid Vehicle System Repair & Replacement, please click here

You can also gain more information about our full range of Motor Vehicle courses and discuss them with tutors at our next Open Event on Tuesday 1st April (5.30pm-7.30pm). Register a place here