The UK's first low carbon vehicle academy was opened today at Gateshead College's Skills Academy for Sustainable Manufacturing and Innovation.
The £9.8m academy based in north-east England is, according to the team behind it, the first of its kind in the UK. The academy focuses on battery assembly, manufacturing, testing, charging, safety and also includes a test track for green vehicles.
The north east is home to Nissan in the UK and will be the area where the Japanese firm will produce its leading electric car the LEAF. The new facilities form part of the Government’s planned £200M Low Carbon Enterprise Zone (LCEZ), which is expected to create 7,000 new jobs in the region over the next decade.
Gateshead College managing director, Mick Brophy, said: “North east England is at the heart of the UK’s emerging low carbon vehicle sector, making it the ideal home for the country’s first sustainable skills academy.
