Vehicle glass repair and replacement specialist Autoglass is rolling out new electric vehicle (EV) training for all its technicians in response to the increasing number of electric vehicles on the roads, with 400 already gaining accreditation since its launch in January.
The programme aims to put all of its 1,000-plus technicians through the Institute of the Motor Industry (IMI) EV level III accreditation, giving them the skils to work on a range of electric vehicles including electric vans and trucks.
SMMT data shows that in May 2024 battery electric vehicle uptake rose 6.2% to account for 17.6% of all car registrations in the month.
Autoglass said that the amount of time its technicians spend inside an EV and the number of EV jobs is growing considerably, with the industry identifying a major skills gap, with too few EV accredited technicians to work on these vehicles, which could impact repair capabilities in future.
The company has so far invested over £350,000 on EV training for its technicians and has already put nearly 400 of its technicians through the training in in the first quarter of this year.
Parent company Belron was also awarded an IMI TechSafe Centre of Excellence in 2023 as a result of its investment in skills and training facilities. The award is in recognition of Autoglass and Belron’s dedication to ensuring their technicians are both competent and safe when working on the latest vehicles by training to an industry recognised accreditation.
Tim Camm, Autoglass technical training and quality manager, said: “EVs are becoming more and more common on UK roads, and this trend is only going to continue in the years ahead. It is essential that this growing demand is reflected in the skills and capabilities of the aftermarket industry, and that we as a sector are prepared for the changes to come.
“At Autoglass we always pride ourselves on being the best in class when it comes to skills, and so it was important to us to ensure we are investing in EV training to provide our technicians with the expertise to work on any vehicle they need to.
”We will continue to invest in training and green solutions to ensure our technicians and our business are ready to meet the challenges of tomorrow.”
