Fleet solutions provider Rivus has opened a new training academy for LCV and HGV technicians following formal approval by the Institute of the Motor Industry (IMI).

L-R: Carl Belcher, operational trainer, Victoria Knight, CEO (interim), James Haydon (technical training manager), Steven Figg (national field trainer)

The purpose-built training centre is an extension of Rivus’ existing service, maintenance, and repair garage in Leeds and teams up a classroom-style training facility with a fully equipped training workshop for practical training and assessment under test conditions.

The facility means the firm can deliver inhouse training to plug the technician skills gap; both for its own technicians but also to other businesses that are struggling with skills shortages.

This includes electric vehicles and the site is equipped to train on hybrid and fully electric vehicles alongside conventional ICE vans.

The Academy officially opened on 28 February 2023, after achieving IMI approval at the end of January. Its first cohort of technicians commenced the IMI Level 3 in Electrical/Hybrid Vehicle System Repair & Replacement on Tuesday 28 February.

James Haydon, technical training manager at Rivus, said: “This is a really exciting development for Rivus. The team has worked hard to get us to this point and we’re very proud of what we’ve achieved so far. We’ve built a new classroom training facility, had a training workshop fitted out with the necessary tools and equipment, as well as invested time and resource into upskilling our own training team to the required level. The site and all our training content has then been assessed and approved by the IMI and we have now achieved IMI Approval to deliver our own in-house training.”

The training centre is capable of delivering knowledge and theory-based learning for up to 16 people while the Academy has a Toyota Prius and a DAF HGV for technicians to complete their practical learning and assessment on. The workshop is equipped with specialist high voltage tooling and PPE equipment for safe and compliant electric vehicle training and assessment.

Initially Rivus will focus on delivering one- and two-day courses for IMI Levels 1, 2 and 3 in Electric/Hybrid Vehicle Awareness, Routine Maintenance and System Repair and Replacement, as well as the IRTEC Large Commercial Vehicle Inspection licence.

There are wider plans afoot though and Rivus says it will rapidly expand the portfolio of training qualifications available through its Academy.

The idea was conceived by interim CEO Victoria Knight in her previous role at Rivus as group HR director and will help Rivus grow its own talent, meeting a complex range of mission-critical vehicle needs for customers.

Knight added: “We can now deliver the bespoke training that our technicians need, as well as deliver IMI Approved training courses to other businesses that are struggling to plug the technician skills gap.”

As part of its current programme of colleague learning and development, Rivus is already signed up to IMI TechSafe and has technicians based throughout its garage network that are qualified to IMI Level 3 or 4 in in Electric/Hybrid Vehicle System Repair and Replacement.