SLCTVET Trains 35 Trainers in Electric Vehicle Repair

Automotive practitioners locally and across the eastern Caribbean are now better equipped to deliver training and services, upon completion of a landmark workshop in Saint Lucia this week. More than 30 practitioners from eight Caribbean territories took part in a Train-the-Trainers Workshop last week for Level 4 Hybrid Electric and Battery Electric Vehicle Service and Repair.

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The workshop was conducted by Dr Curtis Boodoo, chairman for the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) Electric Vehicle Workgroup and Professor Tannecia Stephenson, from The University of the West Indies (UWI) Mona Campus, 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 gathered August 4-8 at SALCC’s Faculty of Engineering on Morne Fortune.

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Close to three dozen trainers, teachers, and mechanics took part in the region’s first Level 4 training programme. The group included 21 Saint Lucians, comprising TVET trainers, educators, certified mechanics, and protective services such as the Saint Lucia Fire Service and the Royal Saint Lucia Police Force. There were also practitioners from Antigua & Barbuda, Barbados, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, St Vincent & the Grenadines, and Trinidad & Tobago.

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The training aimed to introduce trainers to Level 4 content ahead of the curriculum rollout by the Technical and Vocational Training (TVET) institutions across the region. There will be a second Level 4 course in Jamaica, for practitioners in Jamaica, Grenada, St Vincent & the Grenadines and Belize.

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The Level 4 Hybrid Electric and Battery Electric Vehicle Service and Repair National Vocational Qualification (NVQ) was approved by CANTA in 2024. Among the topics covered were High Voltage Foundations and Safety; Energy Storage Systems and Battery Management; Power Electronics and Inverter Systems; Traction Motors and Driveline; and Advanced Systems, Advanced Driver-Assistance Systems (ADAS), and Leadership.

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At a brief closing ceremony on Friday, participants were presented with their certificates by Dr Boodoo; Dr Madgerie Jameson-Charles, principal of Sir Arthur Lewis Community College and Mr Perry Thomas, executive director of the Saint Lucia TVET Council. Mr Thomas is also chair of the Standards Committee of CANTA.

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This workshop was facilitated through funding support from the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action (BMWK) via their International Climate Initiative (IKI) and in cooperation with the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) under the programme "Supporting the implementation of NDCs in the Caribbean - transforming the transport and energy sectors towards a low carbon and climate resilient future."

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