Alexander Dennis supported this year’s IRTE Skills Challenge through its AD24 Training Academy and with the loan of an Enviro100EV bus
Alexander Dennis’ AD24 Training Academy has continued its support for the Society of Operations Engineers’ IRTE Skills Challenge in 2024 and has extended its congratulations to the competition’s winners. The annual event pits apprentice and qualified bus and coach technicians against a series of theoretical and practical tests across electrical, mechanical and bodywork to demonstrate their skills.
Alexander Dennis supported the testing week with the provision of a next-generation Enviro100EV electric bus, with its AD24 Training Academy team setting two challenges on and off the vehicle.
Head of Product Information & Training Laura Tofts led three expert trainers at the event. She said: “The bus and coach industry relies on the fantastic skills of its technicians and at Alexander Dennis nurturing and developing these skills in person is even more important than the financial support we give to the IRTE Skills Challenge. That is why in addition to our presence during the testing week, we invested many hours of preparation to develop meaningful tasks and ensure we would be able to score them consistently.”
The challenges set by the manufacturer during the IRTE Skills Challenge focused on door systems and reflected how mechanical issues are increasingly becoming intertwined with electrical components, such as pneumatic pumps now being electrically controlled, something the company says it also reflects in the courses offered by the AD24 Training Academy, where training on electrical systems is now offered at four levels, ranging from an introduction to electrical systems that provides a first step into low-voltage environments to advanced electrical systems, which upskills even the most experienced technicians to offer continued development.
Laura explained: “We want to arm people with the knowledge to go in and diagnose more challenging faults as vehicle systems get more complex and more electrically based. The IRTE Skills Challenge always gives us a great platform to do this outside of our own courses and the experience informs how
we develop our courses further.
“The quality of this year’s delegates was again very high, and this is reflected in the prizes awarded – congratulations to everyone on their highly deserved recognition! It has been great to meet and interact with so many people that are coming into the industry and to celebrate their work.”
