With support from CleanBC, a new electric vehicle (EV) training program for automotive technicians has successfully completed its first pilot and will be available to the public in 2020.
The newly developed EV Maintenance Training Program at the British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT) will make sure the province’s workforce has the skills and training needed to support more electric vehicles on the road. Under government’s CleanBC plan, all new light-duty vehicles sold in BC by 2040 will be zero-emission vehicles.
With $325,000 in provincial funding through CleanBC, BCIT has completed the pilot of the program with the City of Vancouver’s green-fleet technicians. By working with the city, BCIT was able to develop and test an EV curriculum with 12 Red Seal mechanics. The partnership has helped the city on its path to become one of the greenest cities in the world and has continued BCIT’s ongoing leadership in sustainability and training.
Vancouver has one of the largest Canadian municipal EV fleets, with 120 EVs in service. Expanding the EV fleet is a key component of the city’s Climate Emergency Response, which has set a target of deriving 100% of energy used by the fleet from renewable sources before 2050.
“The BCIT electric vehicle maintenance curriculum is another powerful example of how our institute is working directly with employers and government partners to deliver sustainability training where it’s needed most,” said Kathy Kinloch, president, BCIT. “This kind of flexible upskilling will be critical in growing the green workforce BC and Canada needs to meet our sustainability targets.”
The BCIT EV Maintenance Training program will be available as a part-time studies course in early 2020. If you are interested in this program, please contact BCIT Automotive Program Coordinator Nick Zhang, 604-456-8041.