Electric vehicles (EVs) are increasing in number every day also in Albania. Waiting until they overtake the number of diesel or petrol-driven motors for creating skills to maintain or fix them is an old way of doing things.

As EVs present one of the latest trends in the automotive industry, it is mandatory for teachers and instructors serving in VET providing institutions to be updated with the latest knowledge and skills in order to better serve their students and the needs of the labour market. For this reason,  ‘Skills for Jobs’ supported the delivery of a Training of Trainers (ToT) Program in the industrial “Pavarësia” school in Vlora to capacitate teachers, instructors and students on EVs.

The three-week training program training was designed and is being delivered by Mr. Dirk Niemeyer, German expert in the automotive sector at the Chamber of Crafts for Frankfurt Region (HWK). In order to design the training, in June 2018, Mr. Niemeyer and his colleague Mr. Dominik Borowski, Foreign Relations Expert at German Association of the Automotive Industry (VDA), participated in an exploratory mission to Vlora and Tirana, to visit the school and meet with partner businesses and industry leaders. Prior to the start of training, a laboratory for servicing electric vehicles, equipped with the latest technology was installed in the industrial “Pavarësia” school in Vlora, with the support of ‘Skills for Jobs’.

At the end of training program, the fifteen enthusiastic participants will be able to diagnose, dismantle and repair an EVs. The participants will also develop an elective module to be included in the existing frame curricula of the automotive services direction. The module will be further validated from the National Agency of Vocational Education, Training and Qualification.

We will keep you posted about further updates!