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A $2.5 million refurbished TAFE college in Sydney’s west has re-opened to cater for electric vehicle training as sales for emissions-free models soar.
A newly refurbished TAFE campus has reopened in the western Sydney suburb of Wetherill Park with a focus on equipping mechanics and technicians with the skills to work on electric vehicles (EVs).
The $2.5 million refit of the Wetherill Park TAFE (Technical and Further Education) college was funded by the Australian federal government with a specific focus on the emerging technology.
“One in ten new cars sold are electric vehicles,” said a statement from the Federal Minister for Climate Change and Energy, Chris Bowen, who attended the opening.
“Australians are enjoying more choice of cheaper to run cars and now we’re making sure there will be the mechanics they need to keep Australians on the roads getting where they need to be.”
A sales record for electric vehicles was set in Australia in 2024, with 91,292 electric vehicles, including passenger and commercial vehicles, sold out of a total of 1,237,287 new vehicles, also a new sales record.
The best-selling electric vehicle was the Tesla Model Y SUV, with Tesla the top electric car brand despite a sales decline, with a growing number of rivals emerging such as second-placed BYD followed by MG.
In upskilling both existing qualified mechanics and new vehicle technicians, the new facility will provide industry training on how to ‘depower’ electric vehicles for safe repair, as well as ‘reinitialise’ them for full operation.
While providing a safe environment to work on high-voltage vehicles, the facility also offers industry recognised heavy-vehicle and light-vehicle simulators.
The Federal Minister for Skills and Training, Andrew Giles, also attended the official opening of the centre.
“This is the kind of world-class facility that will give students in NSW the training they need to upgrade their skills,” Mr Giles said in a statement.
“This facility will enable more mechanics to safely and effectively work with electric vehicles with existing mechanics now also able to gain the Certificate III in Automotive Electric Vehicle Technology as a secondary qualification.”
The opening follows the Federal Government's lowering of strict criteria previously needed for apprentice mechanics to work on electric vehicles.
New South Wales and Western Australia remain the only states in Australia to have their own licensing schemes for mechanics working on electric vehicles.
The lack of such schemes in other states means a loophole enabling mechanics – with no specific electric vehicle training – to carry out work on electric cars.
Automotive bodies including the MTAA (Motor Trades Association of Australia) and AAA (Australian Automobile Association) have called for an end to the loophole.
The 2023 Nissan Leaf.
According to the AAA, unqualified mechanics could impact not only safety, but electric vehicle owners if components remain unrepaired – or not installed – as well as the risk of a shortage of mechanics able to repair their electric vehicle.
TAFE NSW’s electric vehicle-related courses currently include modules on charging stations and emergency responder training, as well as on electric vehicles themselves.
Australia’s New Vehicle Efficiency Standard (NVES) came into effect on 1 January 2025 as a step towards a national goal of reaching net zero by 2050.
