Electric Vehicle training keeping Queensland’s automotive industry in the fast lane

TAFE Queensland is training Queensland’s current and future mechanics in the skills they need to service the state’s rapidly changing automotive landscape. Electric Vehicle (EV) ownership and purchasing trends are predicted to continue to skyrocket in coming years and with more EVs on the road than ever before, Queenslanders will expect the State’s automotive workforce to be appropriately skilled in keeping these vehicles on the road and safe.

Automotive dealerships and workshops around the world are already preparing for the future by looking at training their current and future workers. TAFE Queensland is the chosen provider for local employees of leading global manufacturers such as Toyota and Lexus for all skills training, including that for Hybrid and Battery Electric Vehicles (HEV/BEVs).

TAFE Queensland’s Business Manager of Light Automotive training at the Acacia Ridge campus, Nathan Yeark, said the training on offer was developed in conjunction with local industry to meet rising global demand.

“To support Queensland’s automotive industry, TAFE Queensland has adapted its training to offer an on-campus SkillSet (SSAUR0005) containing four nationally recognised HEV/BEV units at our flagship trade training facility in Acacia Ridge,” Mr Yeark said.

“This SkillSet allows qualified workers in the local industry to learn new, essential skills that were not available when they completed an apprenticeship. For current apprentices, TAFE Queensland is proud to be the only training provider in the state offering these units as electives within their Apprenticeship Training Plan at no extra cost to employers,” he said.

These units are offered by TAFE Queensland to update the foundation skills required by all members of the automotive industry, and the largest training provider in the state is set to deliver a new, EV-specific apprenticeship beginning later this year.

According to projections by Rystad Energy, BEVs will make up 50 per cent of car sales worldwide by 2033 and will account for almost every new car sold by 2050. Additionally, BEV sales last year accounted for 4.6 per cent of all car sales, and Rystad predicts this figure will quadruple by 2026.

Mr Yeark continued that, “with more Electric Vehicles set to hit Australian roads, TAFE Queensland is leading the charge for EV training in Australia by working to integrate clean energy technologies into our range of automotive and electrical qualifications.”

“We aim to be one of the first training providers in Australia to offer the Certificate III in Automotive Electric Vehicle Technology (AUR32721); a qualification which will enable technicians who service, diagnose and repair EVs and their components in the automotive service and repair industry to carry out work according to Australian Standards 5732 Electric Vehicle Operations – Maintenance and Repair,” he said.

TAFE Queensland has world-class facilities for EV training including industry-standard tooling and workspaces, which are presided over by a large team of experienced and industry-current teachers.

Renowned for training excellence, TAFE Queensland receives regular donations of a wide array of vehicles from many global manufacturers each year to ensure students are trained in the skills required to service and repair the latest vehicles on Australian roads.

To enquire about TAFE Queensland’s HEV/BEV unit-cluster, contact TAFE Queensland.