EV training pathways vital
New Zealand’s next government needs to direct its agencies to set up specific electric vehicle (EV) apprenticeship pathways as soon as possible to enable more workers to gain skills in this expanding market.
That’s the view of the Motor Trade Association (MTA) in its call to action ahead of the next general election.
As part of supporting a “just transition”, it believes a fees-free EV programme should foster the industry’s future development and enhance the electric sector. It also wants fees-free EV micro-credentials provided to ensure access to safety and handling training for electric cars.
“The modernising of our fleet means the learning of new technologies, teaching of new skills and extra resources for training staff,” says the MTA in its document called “Driving New Zealand forward – future proofing the automotive industry”, which was launched on May 9.
“With the focus on the transition to EVs, little has been said about the standardisation of repairs, safety and training standards for different types of the market. There’s nothing stopping a technician from working on an EV if they don’t have the requisite qualifications.”
In the interests of health and safety, the MTA says all technicians working on EVs should be licensed and properly trained.
It adds: “A leading EV manufacturer has indicated a willingness to work with the MTA. They want to train apprentices but… it requires ICE content they can’t provide.
“They have created a programme to train EV technicians in Australia but have been told it would take two to three years to do so here. This means they are forced to hire technicians from other companies as they can’t train their own.
“The industry needs comprehensive apprentice training tailored to repairing and servicing EVs. We need to ensure New Zealand has the skills base to service and maintain the future fleet.”
Action for people
The MTA wants the immigration green list to be immediately expanded to include the collision repair and refinishing trades, as reported by Autofile on April 24.
It would also like officials to be equipped with the resources to effectively process applications. This includes ensuring visas are processed efficiently to make sure workers are in New Zealand at the right time.
The MTA wants the next government to work with it to establish the association as a qualifications and skills assessor so it can offer a certification process that verifies if a migrant worker possesses the necessary experience and qualifications. Other calls to action relating to people include:
• Removing the 1.5-times wage threshold and focus on immigration settings that smooth the pathway for foreign workers to come here when roles can’t be filled domestically.
• Level-four qualifications need to be recognised as skilled and guarantees are needed that apprenticeships will remain a key part of vocational education with employers at the centre.
• Guarantees that the voice of the automotive sector – including the MTA’s – is fairly included and represented at all levels of vocational education.
• Ensure vocational education outputs are strongly connected, responsive and accountable to industry skill needs, and ensure courses and training are fit for purpose.
• Invest in supporting secondary schools to showcase vocational education as a “premium pathway”, empowering students to pursue diverse careers.
• Support automotive businesses taking on young people by making Apprenticeship Boost permanent, and consider a tiered structure of payments under it to ensure skilled trainers are recognised and rewarded for their contributions to develop apprentices.
• Work with the MTA to widen the range of funding and protective measures available to service stations to keep people safe.
• Ensure that the police investigate and put increased resources into catching offenders, give courts the tools to punish offenders appropriately, and allow capital expenditure for crime protective or preventative measures to be 100 per cent tax deductible in the year it’s incurred.
