With the Federal Government recently announcing the Future Fuels and Vehicle Strategy, paving the way for big investment in battery electric vehicle charging infrastructure and technology in this country, it is anticipated that the number of electric vehicles on our roads will begin to take off in the coming years.

In turn, this means our workshops and repairers will begin to see more and more of these vehicles entering the shop for repairs, maintenance, and on occasion, servicing, meaning employees will need to be familiar with the technology.

With this in mind, the MTA Institute (RTO. 31529) will begin offering specific units of competency in 2022 to deliver key skills related to handling, servicing, and maintaining battery electric and hybrid vehicles. These units will be offered through the apprenticeship package to light vehicle and auto electric apprentices who choose to add the curriculum into their training plan as a minor subject.

Units will be delivered through the Institute’s Apprentice Training Days program, a series of regularly scheduled single day training sessions held at the state-of-the-art Sir Jack Brabham Automotive Centre of Excellence in Eight Mile Plains, in addition to regular workplace training where circumstances allow it.

The following units will be offered :

• AURETH101 – Depower and reinitialise battery electric vehicles
• AURETH002 – Service and maintain battery electric vehicles
• AURETH011 – Depower and reinitialise hybrid electric vehicles
• AURETH012 – Service and maintain electrical components in hybrid electric vehicles

MTA Institute General Manager Paul Kulpa said it was incredibly important that this knowledge was incorporated into the standardised apprenticeship curriculum now to ensure the industry was well prepared for the influx of the technology.

“We know this technology is only going to continue to become more common moving forward, so we really want to emphasise the training now to ensure our apprentices are prepared with the necessary skills and avoid a scenario where a skills gap is created and forces the industry to play catch-up,” said Kulpa.

“By introducing targeted, single units of competency through the apprenticeship, it allows us to widen our scope of training delivery and means we can deliver to more students state-wide while still maintaining our premiere training standards.”

The MTA Institute, as a leader in automotive training in Queensland, has long been preparing employees for the eventuality of an electric future. In 2018, the Institute launched the AURSS00035 – Battery Electric Vehicle Inspection and Servicing Skill Set & AURSS00037 – Hybrid Electric Vehicle Inspection and Servicing Skill Set short course, becoming one of the first training providers in the country to offer accredited training on this subject. This course, held regularly throughout the year, has continued to grow in popularity and is now a regular sell-out, proving there is strong demand for the knowledge and skills despite lagging EV sales.

Australia’s slow acceptance of electric vehicles compared to many markets internationally has been well documented in recent times. However, despite this, sales of plug-in hybrid and electric vehicles continue to grow steadily. In just the last 12 months, sales numbers have risen approximately 200 per cent, and 38 fully electric models are available. This number is expected to grow to 58 by the end of 2022, signifying the rate of growth expected.

With such growth expected, now is the time for Queensland’s automotive service and repair sectors to upskill and ensure they possess the skills and knowledge to expertly perform maintenance and servicing tasks that will be required of them in the future.

For more information on the three-day AURSS00035 – Battery Electric Vehicle Inspection and Servicing Skill Set & AURSS00037 – Hybrid Electric Vehicle Inspection and Servicing Skill Set course, CLICK HERE.

To learn more about the MTA Institute’s range of automotive apprenticeships, CLICK HERE.

7 December 2021