With a sharp eye on where the skills market is moving for automotive employment, Gloucestershire College has prodded the start button on its specialised training centre for electric and hybrid vehicles.

Skills bootcamps and short courses begin this month and on Thursday the college lifted the bonnet to reveal the nuts and bolts of the scheme.

The college has invested £500,000 in a state-of-the-art training centre and, with the support of the government's Strategic Development Fund, the centre will feature expert workshop and lecture guidance, taking trainee technicians from Level 1 to Level 4 for diagnosing, testing and repairing pure EV and hybrid vehicles.

As Tom Denton, EV guru and author of Electric and Hybrid Vehicles, explained to Punchline Editor Mark Owen, the record-setting growth of EV sales, boosted further by drivers' appetite for hybrid motoring, makes this key area of training vital for Gloucestershire's automotive sector.

Tom said: "EVs have taken on the largest growth in the last two years, and that's going to continue. Whether we like it or not, from 2030 and 2035 onwards, electric has to be the primary source of traction. And I believe that's a good thing, good for the environment but also a massive step forward in terms of technology. EV-deniers don't want it to come along, but they probably haven't driven one!"

But how important is this initiative from Gloucestershire College for county business?

"The levels of course study will go from basic awareness to advance diagnostics and working on high-voltage componentry, explained Tom. "Courses also offer such insight as using special oscilloscopes, looking at energy patterns and wave forms. This is really high-tech stuff – and it's not something you can do on your own, so the courses being offered here are absolutely essential to our local auto trade.

"For a technician coming here, you can in a day and-a-half to three days days become fully qualified in electric vehicles. It's an absolute given – get on board!"

According to chargepoint locator app Zap-Map, by the end of January 2023 there were more than 680,000 battery-electric cars wizzing around on UK roads, while more than 265,000 battery-electric cars were registered in 2022, a growth of 40% on 2021.

But with just 13% of mechanics qualified to work on electric and hybrid vehicles, Gloucester College says it is addressing skills gaps that's crucial for supporting the sustainability agenda.

In fact, the Institute of the Motor Industry says the number of qualified EV technicians is 32,900 – and the UK needs to boost that to 90,000 by 2030 to meet our changing choice of wheels.

Matthew Burgess, principal and CEO at Gloucestershire College said: "We plan to bridge the skills gap in low-carbon vehicle mechanics and future-proof the skills of our own talent-in-training, to make them even more employable when they move into industry."

Tuition extends to Level 4, through courses taught in person by experienced lecturers.