IÐAN in international cooperation

In the autumn of 2018, the author came across a brilliant teaching tool for electric cars from the German company Lucas-Nüelle, a so-called electric car simulator. The main drawback of the electric car courses that have been held is that there is little to no practical training available. With this electric car simulator, however, it is simple to perform various measurements and even introduce faults in an easy and safe way for students to diagnose.

The simulator was purchased for IÐAN in 2019, and the original intention was to use it and the accompanying course material to create our own course. However, after a visit to LN, it became clear that they were collaborating with IMI in the UK on a certified electric car course, and subsequently, it was decided to seek to become a certified IMI training provider, as this would give the courses much more value.

The certification process began in early 2020 with an audit of IÐAN's quality system, facilities, and ability to be a certified IMI training provider. The plan was to complete the certification that summer, but COVID threw a spanner in the works, and the process was delayed until the autumn. Normally, the final step of the certification involves a visit from IMI representatives from the UK to conduct a final audit and certify the instructors, but since this was not possible due to travel restrictions, we had to think of solutions. The result was that the final step was conducted entirely electronically, something that had never been done before, and according to the IMI representative, it was a resounding success. IÐAN Education Centre is therefore now certified to offer IMI's electric car courses at 3 levels.

What is Lucas-Nüelle?

Lucas-Nüelle specialises in various types of teaching equipment for technology and industrial trades. The company was founded in 1973 by Rolf Lucas-Nüelle, and its headquarters are in the small town of Kerpen, Germany. LN places great emphasis on the quality of its equipment and production, and therefore, almost all of their products and components are manufactured in their own factory in Kerpen. There, all production is based on special orders (made to order), which greatly increases flexibility and the ability to meet customers' specific requests. Every single product is carefully tested before it is sent to the customer. After a visit to the headquarters in Kerpen, where the author met, among others, those who work on design and production, it was clear that LN was among the leaders in its field. In support of this, it can be mentioned that LN's teaching tools were used at WorldSkills 2018, including the aforementioned electric car simulator. The electric car simulator and its accompanying course material are designed to meet international standards/certifications when it comes to electric and hybrid courses, e.g., IMI EV L3 certification from the UK, ASE L3 from the USA, and DGUV 200-006 from Germany.

What is IMI?

The Institute of the Motor Industry (IMI) was founded in the UK in 1920 and is therefore celebrating its 100th anniversary this year. At that time, as now, society was experiencing great changes due to technological advances, and IMI was founded not least to increase knowledge and skills within the UK's automotive industry, which was growing enormously. Its goal today is to offer different pathways so that people within the automotive industry have the opportunity to acquire professional knowledge and recognition of their skills and can keep up with the changing demands that the industry places on employees due to significant and rapid technological development. Becoming a recognised training provider by IMI is no small process. As one might expect from such a large and old institution, everything must follow standardised processes where different conditions need to be met, and quality is very high on their agenda. Great emphasis is placed on ensuring the integrity of certifications and that recognised training providers follow the correct processes, which is followed up with regular internal and external quality audits.

IÐAN began this process at the beginning of 2020, as mentioned before, and formally completed it in November 2020. This important certification is yet another recognition of IÐAN's professionalism and competence when it comes to educational matters and gives our electric car courses great value. Collaborating with such a large and respected institution also strengthens IÐAN's international network and potentially opens up opportunities for other types of cooperation, as IMI has various other things to offer.