Source: Eastern Institute of Technology – Tairāwhiti
5 days ago
Scott Kyle, an auto-technician with the Notman Motor Group in Napier, has benefited from doing the NZ Certificate in Electric Vehicle Automotive Engineering (Level 5) at EIT.
A Napier auto technician decided to complete an Electric Vehicle programme at EIT as he felt he needed to keep up with an ever-evolving industry.
Scott Kyle, who works for the Notman Motor Group in Napier, has been an auto technician for close to 25 years. He says that he has seen changes in the industry in that time, the most significant being the move to electric vehicles.
“It’s certainly a new style of vehicle to work on, with some big differences. It is not only the motor side of things, but also the systems that run alongside them.”
“I definitely enjoy it as the electrical aspect certainly appealed to me.”
Scott says that he realised that he needed to study further in order to keep up with industry changes.
He said that he was attracted to the NZ Certificate in Electric Vehicle Automotive Engineering (Level 5) at EIT because he had done his pre-trade qualifications at EIT and he had heard good reports about one of the tutors Scott Cunningham.
“My employer helped me with funding to do the programme, which was a bonus, but you’ve got to keep up with the times and keep learning.”
“Working on electric vehicles every day means that you need to have a solid understanding of what you are working with.”
Scott, who completed the programme at the end of last year, says that attending classes fitted in well with his working schedule. He said he also enjoyed doing the practical block courses during the year.
“They go right back to step one of what you would need to know, you know, the basic electrical principles and then build that up slowly all the way through so you’ve got a really good understanding and a refresher of some of the stuff you probably haven’t looked at for a few years with electrics.”
“The best thing for me was that I went from where we had all these electric cars coming in and feeling that I did not have a full understanding of how all those systems worked, to feeling a confidence in working with them when I finished the programme.”
Scott says that another important part of the programme was learning about the safety aspect of electric vehicles.
He says that he has no hesitation in recommending the EIT programme to anyone who wanted to progress further as an auto-technician.
Automotive Tutor and Level 5 Electric Vehicle Programme Coordinator Scott Cunningham says having technicians like Scott step up to further their knowledge in our ever-changing industry is great to see.
“Electric and hybrid vehicles are here to stay for the foreseeable future. Technicians who are great in their field need to adapt and upskill to be able to safely diagnose and understand this emerging technology. Scott is definitely a student that absolutely exceled in this programme, now putting his newly gained knowledge to use in industry.
“Having developed a year long, part-time programme in conjunction with Otago Polytechnic, we have spent the past four years delivering this programme, adding content and resources each year to keep up with technology. Having our programme gain overseas recognition from America, wishing to implement our programme and training there speaks volume.
“We have even tailored our delivery to meet the demands for students in Rarotonga that have had an influx of EVs on the Island, and have realised they will have to upskill to meet the new demand. If you are considering upskilling in this area like Scott, I highly recommend you get onboard.”
