The first collaborative development workshop of the Auto Cove project, funded by the European Commission, was held at the end of April at Omnia. Thirty technical development teachers in automotive education and six industry representatives gathered to discuss various themes. Key developers from Finland were joined by participants from Turkey, France, the Netherlands, Germany, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. During this spring, the project’s development teachers have created the first sets of tasks for servicing and repairing new alternative fuel vehicles on Electude International’s e-learning platform. Last fall, the project teams conducted a comprehensive analysis of the skill needs in automotive education. The analysis received 375 responses from automotive teachers and repair staff representatives from seven European countries. Based on the results of the skills needs analysis, the major skill needs in automotive education were specified.
To meet these needs, teachers are developing tasks to enhance the development of new national curricula. At the workshop held at Omnia, teachers presented and tested samples of the tasks they created. The themes presented at the workshop were as follows:
- Calibration of driver-assistance front cameras and radar
- Production of hydrogen from distilled water and its conversion into vehicle fuel
- Basics of lithium-ion batteries
- Hybrid EV basics and safety
- Safety aspects of high-voltage batteries
- Repair and recycling of electric vehicle batteries
- Session for vehicle salespersons on traffic emissions, WLTP measurement method, and sales of alternative fuel vehicles
In addition to piloting and testing, teachers and company representatives evaluated each other’s teaching sessions through a pedagogical impact study. The results will be used in planning the next lessons and the second workshop.
In addition to the teaching sessions, participants in the workshop heard fresh insights from representatives of companies in the rapidly changing industry. The team from Volvocars Finland presented their unique customer service concept: Volvo’s own mechanic service. Toyota Baltic provided insights into the electrification of the automotive industry and training developments from Toyota’s perspective. A representative from the German company Preh GmbH introduced their apprenticeship training model. Preh trains around 80 students at a time in their apprenticeship training center for four different technical qualifications.
The three days of the workshop were intensive and inspiring, marking the beginning of the two-year intensive development phase of the project. The task is demanding because all the content to be created is entirely new, and teachers must first learn them themselves, based on information from various sources and industry knowledge, before creating content on the Electude platform.
Over the course of two years, key developers will meet four more times, approximately every six months. By spring 2026, the contents created in English should be ready for translation into all the languages of the project partners. A year later, they will be published for free use by all interested parties on the Electude platform for a period of five years.
Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or EACEA. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.
Prepared by:
Auto Cove 2.0
Omnia