Budget boost to car development

MOTOR industry leaders have welcomed the £540 million Budget cash boot to support the growth of electric cars.

The news is seen as a boon by specialist research institution Horiba MIRA on the A5.

The technology park will soon benefit from a £9.5 million skills centre, backed by the Government and part of a collaboration between MIRA and local educational establishments, including North Warwickshire and Hinckley College.

The MIRA Technology Institute will open next year and take its first raft of students as part of a plan to address the future skills gap as electric and driverless vehicle technology advances apace.

Eventually some 2,500 training places a year will be offered at the centre.

Anthony Baxendale, head of the future transport technologies research team at Horiba MIRA, said: “We must not forget that the pace of change in digital technologies has been much faster than any developments in the life cycle of the internal combustion engine which has dominated the automotive sector for more than 100 years.

“We are now seeing a much more rapid innovation cycle, for example in autonomous, connected, electric and shared vehicle (ACES) technologies and the workforce must adapt just as quickly or prepare to face a crisis of capacity.”

With most vehicles now connected to the internet and the emergence of ever-more sophisticated robot interface Anthony said the new generation of vehicle engineers will need skills in coding, IT development and computer science.

He added: “Schools and colleges need to work closely with engineering companies on engaging education programmes as a priority. Especially as the gender gap is a significant issue with women representing only 10 per cent of engineers and just 4 per cent of app developers in the UK.”

Marion Plant, principal and chief executive of North Warwickshire and Hinckley College, said: “The MIRA Technology Institute provides a real opportunity to transform the skills supply, particularly at high levels, to the automotive industry.

“It has the ability to secure a real ‘step change’ in the future productivity of the industry locally, regionally and globally. I firmly believe the MTI represents the future of technical and skills training for the UK in line with the industrial strategy.”

MTI is a collaboration between Horiba MIRA, North Warwickshire and Hinckley College, Coventry University, Loughborough University and University of Leicester.

The building, set to open next September, is being funded with £9.5 million from the Leicester and Leicestershire LEP Growth Deal Fund and backed by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy.