A car dealership and fleet management company has become the first business in the UK to train its workers in a potentially life-saving new electric vehicle (EV) qualification.
Vic Young Group, in South Shields, South Tyneside, is the first automotive company to complete a BTEC Level 2 in EV Hazard Management. Delivered by Gateshead College’s AutoSkills Centre, the course is designed to teach mechanics and service engineers how to safely maintain and repair electric vehicles.
Stewart Bedlington, Service Manager for the Vic Young Group, said: “Ultimately, every car dealer is going to have to know how to deal with electric cars. Low carbon vehicles represent the future of the automotive industry and Vic Young wants to be right at the forefront of it.2”
The Vic Young Group includes the Vic Young Nissan franchise in South Shields and Vic Young Fleet Management, which manages more than 600 cars and commercial vehicles for companies nationwide. The Group recently ordered its first two all-electric Nissan Leaf models, which are destined for a corporate client.
Stewart added: “This training was doubly useful to us. Firstly there are already Nissan Leafs on the roads in North East England and we are in a great position to win that service business. Secondly, the breadth of the training has equipped our fleet management division with the capabilities to support a wide range of hybrids and EVs.”
The three-day EV Hazard Management course covers areas such as vehicle identification, the component make-up of EV and Hybrid systems, safe isolation of vehicles and the safe storage and handling of batteries. It also covers aspects of working with faulty or damaged vehicles – and how to deal with the hazards these vehicels may present.
The course has already proved popular with the emergency services and other first responders, providing them with vital training on how to deal with a road traffic accident or breakdown involving a high voltage vehicle. It is priced at just £450 per person.
For further details on EV Hazard Management and other low carbon vehicle training from Gateshead College, visit www.gateshead.ac.uk/AutoSkillsCentre.
