SLCTVET Equips 35 Trainers in Electric Vehicle Repair

Saint Lucian automotive practitioners, along with their counterparts from across the Eastern Caribbean, are now fully prepared to deliver advanced training and services following a landmark workshop held this week.

Over 30 practitioners from eight Caribbean territories participated in a groundbreaking Train-the-Trainers Workshop focusing on Level 4 Hybrid Electric and Battery Electric Vehicle Service and Repair.

This crucial workshop was led by Dr. Curtis Boodoo, chairman of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Electric Vehicle Work-group, and Professor Tannecia Stephenson from The University of the West Indies (UWI) Mona Campus. The initiative was carried out in partnership with the Saint Lucia Council for Technical and Vocational Education and Training (SLCTVET), Sir Arthur Lewis Community College (SALCC), and the Caribbean Association of National Training Authorities (CANTA).

Participants convened from August 4-8 at SALCC’s Faculty of Engineering on Morne Fortune. With approximately three dozen trainers, educators, and mechanics participating, this marked the region’s first Level 4 training program.

The cohort included 21 Saint Lucians, comprising TVET trainers, educators, certified mechanics, and essential services personnel such as the Saint Lucia Fire Service.

Additionally, practitioners from Antigua & Barbuda, Barbados, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, St Vincent & the Grenadines, and Trinidad & Tobago joined the workshop.

This training is instrumental in preparing trainers for the upcoming Level 4 curriculum rollout by Technical and Vocational Training (TVET) institutions across the region.

A second Level 4 course is scheduled to take place in Jamaica, specifically for practitioners in Jamaica and Belize. Approved by CANTA in 2024, the Level 4 Hybrid Electric and Battery Electric Vehicle Service and Repair National Vocational Qualification (NVQ) covers critical topics such as High Voltage Foundations and Safety, Energy Storage Systems and Battery Management, Power Electronics and Inverter Systems, Traction Motors and Driveline, and Advanced Systems including Advanced Driver-Assistance Systems (ADAS) and Leadership.

During the closing ceremony on Friday, Dr. Boodhoo, Dr. Madgerie Jameson-Charles, principal of Sir Arthur Lewis Community College, and Perry Thomas, executive director of the St. Lucia TVET Council and chair of the Standards Committee of CANTA, presented participants with their well-deserved certificates.

This essential workshop was made possible through funding from the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action (BMWK) via their International Climate Initiative (IKI), in cooperation with the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), under the program “Supporting the implementation of NDCs in the Caribbean – transforming the transport and energy sectors towards a low carbon and climate resilient future.”