With the aftermarket suffering from acute skills shortages and crying out for new talent, Mission Motorsport may just have the answer…
Nestled away on a small Oxfordshire-based industrial site, Mission Motorsport – the forces’ motorsport charity which aids in the recovery of those who have been affected by military operations – is taking active steps to plug the EV skills shortage that plagues the industry.
Living by its motto “Race, Retrain, Recover”, the charity uses motorsport and all things automotive to engage those affected by military operations on a recovery journey to success throughout life after the HM Forces.
From sporting output to qualifications and employment, the charity supports individuals suffering from both physical and mental injuries in a range of different ways.
The charity’s training wing is an approved IMI training centre which provides service leavers and veterans, alongside those already working in the industry, the opportunity to upskill and study specialist EV courses including both IMI level two and three awards in Electric/Hybrid Vehicle System Repair & Replacement.
Since 2020, when specialist EV courses were introduced to the training wing’s offering, 156 individuals have successfully gained industry qualifications which has enhanced their careers and enabled them to gain employment.
David Guilfoyle, technical training manager at the charity, spoke about the EV courses offered: “When we first looked into EV qualifications, it was clear that there was, and still is, a shortage of suitably qualified technicians nationwide. We identified a plethora of people – service leavers and veterans with “High Voltage” skills as a perfect fit for an industry in desperate need of these exact skills.”
Transferable skills
Explaining how underutilised this national resource of talented people is, he continued: “A lot of military equipment like tanks, aircraft, ships, or radio systems use voltages above 200 V and in some cases voltages in excess of 1,000 V. Service leavers are used to working in and around voltages that exceed the automotive industries over 60 V DC and 30 V AC set out in ECE R100.
“With a lot of veterans and industry employers not knowing about this transferable skill, we work with both industry and veterans to educate them on their transferable skill sets and ensure that they receive the right qualifications.”
Keeping up with demand, Mission Motorsport will soon be launching its first level four award in Diagnosis, Testing and Repair of Electric/Hybrid Vehicles and Components in September, increasing the number of courses available to study.
Alongside the level two and three awards in Electric/Hybrid Vehicle System Repair & Replacement the training facility already offers a longer level three Diploma in Light Vehicle Maintenance and Repair Principles (VRQ) and the level three award in Automotive Refrigerant Handling. Each course varies in length and is adapted to best fit the student’s needs. Primarily open to veterans, the charity is opening up its courses to other civilian technicians seeking to gain those all-important EV qualifications.
