Lancashire Automotive Skills Accelerator (LASA)
Project overview
The Lancashire Automotive Skills Accelerator (LASA) project supported businesses across Lancashire to respond to the growth of renewable energy sources, particularly focusing on low-emission vehicles and infrastructure within the light vehicle maintenance, service and repair, plant machinery and motorsport industries.
An Introduction to the Lancashire Automotive Skills Accelerator Project (Video)
For enquiries, please contact Catherine Pearson at Blackburn College on 01254 292365 or drop her an email
Email Catherine Pearson
Delivery partnership
LASA was led by Blackburn College and delivered by a partnership of Lancashire colleges including Blackpool and The Fylde College, Lancaster and Morecambe College, Myerscough College and the Nelson and Colne College Group.
Project aims
The project aimed to achieve the following objectives and outputs:
1. Create industry standard facilities at five Low-Carbon Skills Centres located across Lancashire:
- Regional Automotive Technology Hub at Blackburn College focusing on light vehicle maintenance, service and repair;
- Electric Vehicle workshop facilities at Nelson and Colne College specialising in EV Fault Diagnosis, Battery Fault Diagnosis (servicing and maintenance) and Charging Infrastructure;
- Myerscough College and Blackpool and The Fylde College specialising in Motorsport;
- A plant operator training centre at Lancaster and Morecambe College, specialising in Low-Carbon energy sources within plant vehicles and technologies;
- Technical training and demonstrator facilities ensuring that employers and students have access to industry standard equipment that is relevant and keeps pace with technological change.
2. Creation of a Lancashire Independent Garage Network (IGN) that initially engaged with 47 Small and Medium Sized Enterprise across Lancashire and facilitated their input into curriculum development:
- Ten Independent Garage Network meetings held across Lancashire providing advice and guidance on how the sector can adapt their business to grow. The Network supports colleges and industry to develop partnerships to investigate new techniques and approaches to carbon neutrality
- The creation of a range of new short courses supporting businesses to up-skill and re-skill their existing workforce to meet their skills needs
- Larger regional network events held across Lancashire
3. Establishment of a shared leadership/delivery and Continuous Professional Development model supporting skills development and providing tutors with the skills and knowledge needed to deliver new and emerging curriculum in Low-Carbon skills. This involved engaging employers in curriculum development sessions and working with Master Technicians to deliver staff and student Masterclasses and support dual curriculum delivery.
Results
The LASA project delivered the following:
- 5 new low carbon skills centres within Lancashire college; each college specialising in a particular area and all working collaboratively together to share best practice, facilities, and equipment.
- Development of new curriculum content related to hybrid and fully electric vehicles.
- Creation of a Lancashire Independent Garage Network, comprising at least 72 employers initially and increasing to 167 by Year 5, with these employers inputting into the design and development of new curriculum content.
- A range of new Level 2 short-courses created to support businesses to up-skill and re-skill their existing workforce to meet their skills needs.
Myerscough College takes delivery of its latest high tech electric vehicle
“The project is a great step in the right direction in terms of ensuring the needs of the industry are met. At Bowker we already work alongside Blackburn College as our apprentices attend the College. It’s great to see that they will have access to the most up-to-date training to ensure they develop the skills to get them where they need to be.”