City & Guilds and Shell UK: Driving forward the future of electric vehicle charging

Together we are developing key skills and knowledge to support the energy transition and prepare for the future of EV infrastructure.

With the drive towards net zero targets and the UK government’s plans to phase out the sale of diesel and petrol cars by 2030, the demand for electric vehicles (EVs) is growing. But as the number of battery-electric cars increases, so does the need to expand the UK’s EV charging infrastructure to ensure that drivers up and down the country have access to charge points. 

At City & Guilds, we are dedicated to developing skills that support the transition towards a more sustainable future. We are taking steps to respond to the need for more EV charging infrastructure across the UK. We worked with industry associations and employers, with Shell UK playing a key role, to develop a new EV charging industry standard and a set of qualifications. These are aimed at skilled electricians, installers and engineers wishing to upskill to safely install and maintain EV charging points (EVCPs). 

To further support the EV transition, we partnered with Shell UK to deliver a City & Guilds Electric Vehicle Charging Installation Qualifications pilot that provided opportunities to upskill electricians across the country – while helping to address the productivity crisis by supporting more people into jobs.

In the video below, Anthony Harte, Head of Social Impact at Shell UK, talks about the Shell UK-sponsored EV charging installation course pilot, and how we are working together to support the energy transition and the development of life-changing skills: 

 

Learn more about the City & Guilds Electric Vehicle Charging Installation Qualifications pilot programme

The Shell UK-sponsored skills capacity pilot programme had two main aims:  

  • To build the trainer and assessor capacity for EV charging training delivery across select UK Colleges, to enable them to deliver EV charging training independently to eligible learners  
  • To build a talent pipeline to work on EVCP installation across the UK from a newly qualified apprentice pool. 

Three colleges took part in the pilot programme: London South Bank Technical College (LSBTC), the University of the Highlands and Islands Inverness College (UHI) in Inverness and North East Scotland College (NESCol) in Aberdeen. 

Some highlights from the pilot include:

  • 4 in 5 trainers feel that the course is an excellent example of collaboration between industry and education development and delivery.
  • 3 in 5 trainers would highly recommend the course to others. Additionally, trainers stated that the course has helped to increase their confidence in training and assessing EV charging qualifications
  • Students shared that the course improved their practical skills and technical knowledge, and over half feel that this training has increased their confidence in EV charging installation.
  • 3 in 5 learners feel they benefitted significantly from the course, and the same proportion would recommend the course to others.
  • All the employers interviewed felt the course demonstrated a strong collaboration between the industry and education.
  • All the employers would recommend EV charging training and qualifications to organisations intending to join this sector.

Read the full report to find out more 

"We're going to need to give people new skills to get the country to net zero... So, we decided to partner with City & Guilds to help us support that objective."

- Anthony Harte, Head of Social Impact, Shell UK