South & City College Birmingham (SCCB) has unveiled a new hydrogen vehicle training facility which has been developed following £1.5m of capital funding from The Office for Students.
Intended to support the automotive industry as it upskills its existing workforce to address the growing demand for hydrogen fuelled vehicles, including light vehicles, PSVs and HGVs, the investment includes the purchase of a BLUEPOWER e-base refuse collection vehicle so that training is as realistic as possible.
First announced in December 2022 when the funding was secured following a competitive bidding process, the state-of-the-art facility transformed from a vision into reality once a pioneering partnership was formed between the college and Enginius, part of vehicle manufacturer FAUN Zoeller, which specialises in hydrogen-powered municipal vehicles.
The 450m² ATEX-compliant workshop meets all industry specifications, incorporating robust ventilation and safety systems and includes vehicle lifts and an EV training area.
Speaking at the launch, Mike Hopkins MBE, Principal at SCCB, said:
“I am very pleased that the WMCA Mayor Richard Parker has given us so much support and has opened our new facility. With the government planning to end the sale of new petrol and diesel vehicles, it is imperative that the automotive sector is ready for the switch to alternatively fuelled vehicles, including hydrogen.
“Commercial fleet operators such National Express, and local authorities operating refuse collection and road sweeping vehicles will require suitably trained engineers to maintain those fleets. This is why we’ve invested so heavily in these specialist facilities, including the purchase of our own branded BLUEPOWER refuse truck that we’ve sourced from market-leaders Enginius.
“Significantly, the training that we’ll deliver via this new workshop segues nicely with the electric vehicle programmes that we already offer, ensuring that we’re addressing the whole hybrid vehicle sector, heavy and light vehicles.
“This will provide a major pipeline for jobs for young people and for upskilling the automotive workforce in the region”
All students at SCCB engaged in automotive courses will benefit from the new facilities, with an immediate focus being on upskilling the existing automotive workforce to Levels 3 and 4, as well as supporting higher education students on foundation degrees to access real-world training opportunities. It will also provide unique new pathways for lower lever students who can then progress.
The college has a long-history of partnering with the Institute of the Motor Industry (IMI) to develop industry-appropriate courses for its learners, with this collaboration continuing at the new hydrogen facility for the delivery of the IMI Level 1 hydrogen awareness qualification.
Speaking on behalf of the IMI, Azlina Bulmer, Managing Director, said:
“The IMI has a clear vision to support people and businesses in the automotive sector as new technologies such as hydrogen grow in popularity and demand. We are, therefore, delighted to be working with South & City College Birmingham (SCCB) in its new hydrogen vehicle training facility.
“It’s critical that those working in the sector gain the knowledge to work with this alternative fuel source safely and we are delighted to support the delivery of the IMI Level 1 hydrogen qualification as part of the College’s curriculum.”
Beyond the new facility’s use as a teaching environment, SCCB plans to use the workshop and truck as a research and development facility with plans afoot for a Level 4 course focused on diagnosing faults on vehicles with live hydrogen, instead of simulating those faults.
Simon Hyde is CEO at FAUN Zoeller UK, the parent company of Enginius that has supplied the vehicle to SCCB. He concluded:
“The debate around alternative vehicle fuels has largely focused on electric power and hydrogen-sceptics have cited funding, fuelling, performance and skills as barriers to adoption.
“We believe that none of these are insurmountable. We’ve established our own vehicle hire company to address the funding point; we have partnered with RYSE at Tyseley Energy Park to deal with fuelling; and product performance is proven via excellent data collected over two years from more than 120 vehicles currently in operation across Europe. Now, with the launch of this training facility and the commitment that SCCB has demonstrated, the existing and future workforce will benefit from the most appropriate training to enable them to effectively service, maintain and carry out diagnostics on hydrogen-powered municipal vehicles.”
SCCB’s hydrogen training facility is located at the college’s Bordesley Green Campus.