SEMTA HELPING TO DRIVE ‘GREEN INDUSTRY’ BUSINESS FORWARD

Semta, the Sector Skills Council for Science, Engineering and Manufacturing Technologies has come to the aid of an entrepreneur who is developing the next generation of electric car. A strategic partnership between Reading based Bee Automobiles and Semta, will help ensure that the UK’s fledgling ‘green’ industry can gain rapid momentum. Bee Automobiles was founded by Stephen Voller in 2008, with a mission to produce an electric car made in the UK. Through the partnership Semta has helped Stephen to identify partners who could come on board and assist with the project. This has resulted in offers of premises and support in other areas of the business such as design. Semta has worked closely with Stephen and together they have mapped out the skills training that would be required. The Bee project was designed to embrace the government’s focus on new technologies that help to reduce emissions. The electric car promises to be green, not only in its operation but also at every stage of its development. Stephen intends this ethos to carry through the whole of the project, including choice of materials, manufacturing processes, distribution and end of life recycling. Getting the support that Stephen required was no easy task, until he met with Semta. “Semta has been very helpful with opening doors for us,” said Stephen. “We’re still in the early stages of this project, but we need to start thinking about building the skill sets that we need. The UK automotive industry is very rich in talent, we wanted to utilise this and not discard what had preceded us. It’s a question of identifying the right skill sets and then retraining the people to adapt to this new world.” Phillip Whiteman, Semta’s Chief Executive said, “We are delighted to support Bee Automobiles and the governments drive towards green technology. The electric car is an exciting concept which we are keen to see evolve. With such innovative technology, we are convinced that the electric car will revolutionise the UK automotive industry, creating new jobs and boosting the economy.” In support of electric vehicles, Semta has announced a National Skills Academy for Manufacturing training centre in the North East, at the heart of development and training for the first low Carbon Economic Area in the country. - E N D S –

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