Garages across the the county will get training on the repair of electric and hybrid vehicles.

An Independent Garage Network has been set up by Blackburn College which will help garages access the latest training and to share expertise.

The launch of the network was held at the Regional Automotive Technology Hub (RATH) at Blackburn College, where attendees were given a tour of the facilities, and information about how the Independent Garage Network would help support the training requirements of the industry.

During the event the visitors were also given information about the new specialist hybrid/electrical equipment being obtained by the college, as well as the new training centre that is being launched at the college in the new year.

Director of business development and external engagement, Nicola Clayton said: “The Independent Garage Network will be a huge asset to the independent garages across Lancashire, by helping them to collaborate with other garages and businesses, to allow knowledge and expertise to be shared.

“The network will also help the College to continue to engage with professional partners, allowing us to stay current to the needs of the industry and provide training opportunities for our young people.”

Workshop foreman at Intack Self Drive who attended the event, Chris Calvert, said: “We’re looking forward to using Blackburn College’s new training facilities to upskill our workshop staff to allow safe working practices on the latest hybrid and electric vehicles currently being added to the Intack Self Drive fleet.

“We’re hopeful that the Independent Garage Network will enable both skills and workload sharing with other local businesses”.

The Independent Garage Network comes as part of the Lancashire Automotive Skills Accelerator Project, a new £1.3m motor vehicle project launched earlier in November, which will bridge the skills gap in low-carbon vehicle mechanics.

Blackburn College is leading the Lancashire Automotive Skills Accelerator Project, which is funded by the Department for Education, as part of The Skills Accelerator Strategic Development Fund.

It will also create five electric and hybrid vehicle skills centres across Lancashire.