A West Virginia University automotive training program earned its third consecutive and fourth overall National Excellence in Training Award from the Automotive Training Manager’s Council. The program, the National Alternative Fuels Training Consortium , or NAFTC, was recognized by the Council for the consortium’s Electric Drive Vehicle Automotive Technician Training.
The Council, founded by automotive training professionals, gives the awards annually to highly effective or innovative training programs that are submitted to a panel for review. The award highlights the importance of training to the success of the transportation industry.
“Receiving this award for the third year in a row is validation for us that the programs we are developing are what the industry wants and needs,” said NAFTC Director Bill Davis. “Our staff and the development process we use are second to none.”
The NAFTC developed the Electric Drive Vehicle Automotive Technician Training through a grant from the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy to educate, train and prepare pre-service and in-service automotive technicians on the rapidly expanding field of electric drive vehicle diagnostics and repair.
The Electric Drive Vehicle Automotive Technician Training suite of products consists of training curricula targeting technical college, pre-service and in-service automotive personnel, and high school and career and technical education students. It includes an online electric drive vehicle safety and electricity course as a prerequisite to ensure students understand all safety precautions before they participate in the electric drive training program.
A mobile classroom trailer allows students and the public to learn about electric drive vehicles and allows NAFTC affiliated educational partners to promote the availability of these electric drive vehicle courses in their schools.
A Hybrid Electric Vehicle Training Educator, a heavily modified hybrid electric vehicle cutaway that is used extensively in the electric drive vehicle classroom environment, completes the suite of training products.
More information can be found at http://www.naftc.wvu.edu or http://www.aedve.info.
The NAFTC will receive its award in a formal presentation at the Automotive Training Manager’s Council annual reception at the Automotive Aftermarket Products Expo and SEMA show in Las Vegas on Nov. 5.
The NAFTC’s three previous National Excellence in Training Awards were received in 2007 for its Overview of Biodiesel course, in 2012 for its Electric Drive Vehicle First Responder Safety Training suite of products, and in 2013 for its Petroleum Reduction Technologies curriculum and supporting materials.
The NAFTC was founded in 1992 and manages education and outreach programs and activities, develops curricula, and conducts training on subject matter related to alternative fuel and advanced technology vehicles. The NAFTC works with universities, community colleges and high schools around the country to develop training programs for dissemination at the local level. The organization consists of approximately 50 National and Associate Training Centers that utilize its curricula and training materials.