Queensland a destination state for EV training

Queensland is usually billed as a destination state for surfers, sun-seekers, and international tourists looking to catch a glimpse of the mighty Great Barrier Reef, but it is quickly becoming a destination state for the future of work more so than leisure.

Experienced mechanics from all over Australia and even across the ditch in New Zealand are currently racing to the Sunshine State to upskill themselves in Hybrid and Battery Electric Vehicle (HEV/BEV) skills with TAFE Queensland.

Undertaking new and innovative automotive training courses such as the Hybrid and Electric Vehicle Skill Set (SSAUR0005), mechanics are turning to one of the Oceania region’s leaders in trade training to prepare themselves for an EV future which has already begun.

TAFE Queensland’s training is suitable for workers from all sectors of the automotive industries, including light, heavy commercial, and mobile plant workers and a recent cohort included participants from a variety of interstate businesses and dealerships, including Steven Spence and Raven Fox who were among the Scania mechanics who travelled to participate in the course from Melbourne.

Scania specialise in heavy commercial vehicles and are preparing their employees for the EV future which is set to take hold of not only light vehicles but also transport and logistics industries across Australia in coming years.

It is not only global manufacturing giants travelling for TAFE Queensland’s training in EV skills however, with New Zealand business Transport Repairs Limited also sending auto-electrician Simon Burnby from their Cromwell branch on the South Island to undertake the training.

Mr Burnby said he was acting as a ‘test dummy’ for the business to see the benefits of TAFE Queensland’s HEV/BEV training and was suitably impressed.

“I thought the course was very beneficial, I thoroughly enjoyed it and thought it was very efficiently run and the teachers were very knowledgeable,” Mr Burnby said.

Transport Repairs Limited are among the many businesses looking to set themselves up for the rise of HEV/BEV usage in the heavy transport sector, and Mr Burnby said TAFE Queensland’s training was a first step towards this end goal.

“Historically in the business we have done very little of this work, but we are looking to get the workshops set up to carry out the required work on these vehicles and that is why I was sent to Brisbane to get trained in these skills and hopefully we will send more people now to upskill as well,” Mr Burnby said.

“I would recommend this course definitely, the teachers were experts, the course was very efficient and well-run and I gained a lot of new skills to take back to the workshop,” he said.

TAFE Queensland – SkillsTech General Manager John Tucker said it was through the training provider’s engagement with industry that it earned the title of the most-trusted provider in the state.

“There is a need for perpetual innovation in the training industry, especially for the automotive sector, and TAFE Queensland prides itself on working closely with industry to shape our training products to ensure we are providing forward-thinking training options,” Mr Tucker said.

“We are preparing the automotive industry for the rapid changes to the vehicle landscape that are already in motion and set to continue, with experts such as Rystad Energy predicting Battery Electric Vehicles (BEVs) will make up 50 per cent of car sales worldwide by 2033 and will account for almost every new car sold by 2050.”

“TAFE Queensland is being chosen by interstate and international industry members for this training by virtue of the world-class teachers, facilities, and equipment provided for trade training at our locations across the state, and we are proud to provide world-class training to those who need it,” he said.

TAFE Queensland has been delivering training for more than 140 years and provides training to more than 120,000 students each year. With specialised teaching teams, campuses, and equipment, TAFE Queensland can deliver world-class training – something which does not go unnoticed by its overwhelmingly satisfied 13,000 apprentice employers whose satisfaction rate is more than 90 per cent.