Jan 26, 2016 EV, Aftermarket, Skills, Workshop, Training, Mechanic, Hybrid,
The Institute of the Motoring Industry in the UK (IMI) has raised concerns in recent years over the lack of skilled technicians in the motor sector in that country and in particular, those who are trained to work on electric and hybrid cars. The organisation's research showed 60% of consumers in the UK are thinking about buying an EV or hybrid vehicle in the next two years. The British Government has now promised to invest £600 million to turn this public interest into sales of electric vehicles, but the IMI says action on closing the skills gap is now urgently needed.
In an article it posted on its website recently, the IMI asserts that: "Current only 1,000 vehicle technicians’ are qualified to work on electric cars in the UK. There are only 1,000 more in training at the moment that will have graduated by 2018. That’s only 1% of the workforce. With the Chancellor’s Autumn Statement setting the goal of all new cars in Britain being electric by 2040 the current rate of skills development will be insufficient to meet consumer demand."
Speaking at an international motor industry event focusing on electric cars in Kuala Lumpur late last year, IMI CEO Steve Nash said: “There is no place for an enthusiastic amateur maintaining electric and hybrid vehicles, they have complex systems with three times the power of domestic voltage. The Government faces a skills shock if it does not factor this issue in its plan to reduce carbon emissions by 65 million tonnes.”
IMI is calling for a licence to practice for technicians, to protect employers’ investment in the skills necessary to maintain the next generation of vehicles and highlights the fact that the industry is currently unregulated.
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