MTA NSW calls for government funding for EV safety training

Shadow Minister for Skills Tom Crakanthorp recently visited the Motor Traders’ Association of NSW (MTA NSW) headquarters to learn about their apprenticeships training program and discuss the importance of electric vehicle (EV) safety training that MTA NSW has implemented to help educate the industry as it makes its shift towards EVs. MTA’s training facilities and programs have seen a recent investment of $1 million in specialised EV equipment, demonstrating the organisation’s commitment to ensuring its workforce has the right education and safety skills required to adapt to this transition.

Stavros Yallouridis, CEO of MTA NSW, used this opportunity to highlight the financial burden facing automotive businesses who are required to upskill their workforce. Approximately 50,000 automotive technicians in NSW will need to undergo training in order to be able to safely work on EVs in the future and this is expected to cost the industry around $100 million. This cost will be borne by small and family-owned businesses across the state and does not include the outlay of additional infrastructure and space required for servicing EVs. Yallouridis said that government funding is needed in order to prepare the automotive industry for its transition to EVs.

“We are looking forward to working closely with government to ensure that the safety of the workers at the coalface of this transition is prioritised. Our workforce needs to be armed with the right skills, safety training and support to adapt to the changing servicing needs of their customers,” Yallouridis said.

Crakanthorp said he was impressed with MTA NSW’s training facilities and the level of investment that has been dedicated towards upskilling the industry. “Our automotive sector is such an important one, made up of many small and family-run businesses that are at the forefront of the rapidly changing technologies surrounding electric vehicles. This is exciting technology and a clear growth industry, and the incoming government will need to work collaboratively with the auto industry to help them meet the EV targets being proposed,” Crakanthorp said.

MTA NSW will launch a new course this month around battery and hybrid vehicle inspection and servicing, adding to an EV training offering which also includes a module on safely depowering and repowering electric and hybrid vehicles. The course is available to all business operators within NSW.

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