Students at Kirklees College are set to benefit from hands-on experience with electric vehicle (EV) charging technology thanks to a new partnership with Drax Electric Vehicles.
As part of the collaboration, Drax has donated multiple EV chargers to the college’s engineering department. Students will use the chargers in workshops and classrooms, giving hands-on experience with EV infrastructure, installation, fault diagnostics, and maintenance. This practical training will equip them with the skills to drive the next generation of sustainable transport.
Adam Hall, Energy Services Director at Drax Electric Vehicles, spoke of how the company is proud to support education providers that are helping prepare young people for the jobs of the future.
“We believe the next wave of innovation depends on giving students real access to the tools they’ll use in their future careers,” he said. “This donation is our way of supporting emerging talent in sustainable technology. We’re delighted to work with Kirklees College to help nurture skills that will be essential for the UK’s future.”
The donated equipment mirrors the real-world technology used in fleet and commercial EV charging today. With demand for electric vehicles rising and government targets approaching, employers are looking for new talent with the technical knowledge to support the UK’s transition to cleaner transport.
Steve Plumstead, Curriculum Director at Kirklees College, said the partnership with Drax will enhance the student learning experience by giving them access to the kinds of technologies they’re likely to encounter in the workplace.
“This partnership means so much for our students. They’ll learn not just from textbooks but through hands-on experience with real, live EV systems. This is important for strengthening their readiness for future employers and supporting our mission to deliver cutting-edge vocational training.”
About Drax Electric Vehicles
We believe in the value of end-to-end electrification partnerships. By tailoring EV-transition roadmaps to organisation-specific requirements, we support from assessment to implementation and beyond.
Our focus on understanding sites and operations ensures that we supply and install cost-effective, future-proofed charging solutions. And our market-leading management portal helps control operations and identify optimisation opportunities.
As part of Drax, we offer reassurance due to our heritage and scale and we offer energy, cost and sustainability benefits as decarbonisation experts.
About Kirklees College
Kirklees College is an award-winning college with over 10,000 students across Kirklees.
The college boasts specialist vocational centres, including Engineering Centre, Process Manufacturing Centre, Taylor Hill Centre Animal Centre, Brunel Construction Centre (Huddersfield) and Pioneer Higher Skills Centre (Dewsbury).
The college’s commitment to creating opportunities and changing lives has resulted in the following accolades:
- Ofsted Good Rating
- Skills and Education Group Showcase Centre – Counselling
- Disability Confident Employer
- Official Partner of Huddersfield Giants
- Carers Federation – Quality Standard for Carers Support
- Association of Colleges Beacon Awards Finalist 2024
