OP staff deliver practical EV training in Illinois

Otago Polytechnic’s Kevin O’Neill and Tim Wallace have just returned from Illinois, where they delivered hands-on training to a group of community college facilitators as part of an ongoing partnership with the Illinois Green Energy Network (IGEN).

This marks a very productive year of collaboration with the IGEN initiative, which focuses on upskilling educators in the fast-evolving field of green energy—particularly electric vehicle (EV) systems and sustainable automotive technologies.

The recent visit built on earlier online and in-person sessions, with Kevin and Tim leading intensive practical workshops designed to strengthen the facilitators’ confidence in delivering technical content in their own classrooms. The sessions included EV systems diagnostics, safe high-voltage practices, and thermal management strategies.

“Our focus has been on empowering these educators to deliver high-quality, industry-relevant training,” said Kevin. “The group has been incredibly engaged and eager to bring these skills back to their students.”

Tim added, “It’s been great to see how much progress has been made over the past year. There’s real momentum now, and it’s exciting to be part of it.”

This international collaboration highlights Otago Polytechnic’s role as a leader in applied automotive training and reflects the value of sharing expertise across borders to support the transition to a low-emissions future.

Hopefully this is going to be an ongoing relationship with further workshops and collaborative projects in the future