Charged and ready to go - the new Electrical Vehicle Training Academy at Stratford College
STRATFORD College officially opened its new Electrical Vehicle Training Academy this week with high hopes for the future.
The opening by the Mayor of Stratford, Cllr Dani Hunter, took place on Monday 30th June, with students, lecturers and senior college staff in attendance.
Amid a growing demand for electric vehicles, the college has built the centre thanks to a £625,000 payment received in 2024 from Stratford District Council as part of the UK Shared Prosperity Fund. The centre will give students hands-on experience into the manufacturing and upkeep of EVs, helping them on their way to qualifications.
There was a great deal of excitement at the official opening, with Lee Kirk, head of the motor vehicle department at the college, telling the Herald about the centre.
“With a purpose-built sort of specific work environment for electric vehicles it enables us to safely train our students to be proficient with these new EVs,” he explained. “This is really looking to the future and the big dominance that EV vehicles will have.
“We’ve very close links with local employers and through the employer forums we ask local industry what it is that they’re looking for in regards to professionalism and work readiness from our students. It’s having that knowledge to be able to safely work on the cars and to have that foundation knowledge that they then build from on the dealer specifics.”
The college is keen for students to keep up to speed with the fast paced world of motoring and Lee believes the EV training students receive at the new centre will put them head and shoulders above their peers in regards to readiness.”
George Wood recently completed the motor vehicle course at the college and will use his qualification and experience to hopefully move into the motor industry.
“The past three years have been quite riveting,” he said. “It’s fun, there’ve been ups and downs, but mainly ups. I plan on going into work to be a vehicle technician, hopefully.”
Samuel Withers is also looking ahead to how the Stratford College qualification can help him in the world of work.
He said: “It’s brilliant, there are fantastic facilities here and I had a lot of fun. I prefer working with my hands rather than sitting at a desk. I really like working with cars, fixing problems and I would definitely recommend this course to anyone else who wants to go into a hands-on industry.
“I have such a passion for cars and bikes, and to be able to work with them is a dream.”
