Ireland invests in skills for electric vehicle industries
When fully developed, the new centre for electric vehicle skills in The National Centre will be hosted by Longford and Westmeath Education Training Board (LWETB). The centre aims to build upon what it says is the ETB’s “legacy of skilled craft training in motor mechanics within the region”.
The National Centre will be based in Mullingar, Co Westmeath and will train people to repair and maintain not only electric cars but also electric bikes, scooters, trucks, buses, vans and heavy goods vehicles. The National Centre will be based in Mullingar in the County Westmeath.
Skilling workforces in cleantech industries is a growing theme globally with countries scrambling to attract skilled staff and reskilling and upskilling existing workforces from declining to growing cleantech industries.
The Irish Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, Simon Harris TD, elaborated, “The transition from new diesel and petrol cars is no longer a futuristic concept. It is happening currently. Electric vehicles are outselling new petrol and diesel cars for the first time ever.”
“As the number of EVs on the road increases, a workforce with the knowledge to fix and properly maintain them will be needed. It is clear to us we need a dedicated national centre to focus on the delivery of these key skills, while preparing for future technological advances.”
The Minister’s office stated that the first step will be the establishment of a project office and the recruitment of staff to commence work on the project. To begin with, Minister Harris has secured €200,000 in Budget 2024 to establish the office. This will be temporarily based in the head office of LWETB in Marlinstown.
“This national centre will be based in the Midlands, in one of our growing towns and will be absolutely critical to delivery of the skills of the future,” he said.
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