Ford has unveiled its new Electric Vehicle (EV) Centre for Excellence at the Henry Ford Academy in Daventry, marking a major step forward in the company’s journey toward electrification.
The state-of-the-art facility was officially opened by Lisa Brankin, chair of Ford Britain and managing director of Ford UK, in a ceremony celebrating both the launch of the centre and the 10th anniversary of the academy.
“Today we celebrated both a milestone and a new chapter in Ford UK’s electrification journey,” said Brankin. “What began in 2015 as a central training facility has grown into a nationally recognised hub for innovation and skills which has supported thousands of people into an exciting career in the automotive industry.
“The opening of this new EV centre is not just about new equipment or cutting-edge training – it’s about our people. Specifically, it’s about the technicians, apprentices, sales teams, and leaders working in Ford dealerships across the country making sure that our customers get the very best experience as they make the switch to electric driving.”
The new centre consolidates Ford’s EV training into a single, purpose-built space. Dealership training manager Ann Cardus told AM that the shift was crucial to meeting growing demand: “With the shift towards electrification, we’ve had to find space to be able to deliver that.”
“We were operating the electrical training out of a relatively small and disjointed space. Now, with the EV centre of excellence, all technical training can happen in one place, and people will have the opportunity to deliver to the capacity that we need.”
With electric vehicle technology evolving rapidly, Cardus explained how Ford is working to keep its training ahead of industry demands.
“The EV centre will focus more on our adult learners, while our apprenticeship programme already includes EV qualifications,” she said. “Apprentices achieve the equivalent of the IMI Level 3 high voltage qualification, although they don’t yet work inside batteries.”
Ford is also looking at the bigger picture – how to attract a more diverse, future-ready workforce. Part of this means tackling outdated perceptions of automotive careers.
“The IMI has done research showing that people form opinions about jobs before they’re even five,” said Cardus. “We’re working to challenge those early impressions by reaching out to schools and colleges, showing that the workshops today are nothing like the dirty places people imagine. They’re clean, tech-led environments. Working on EVs is also software-focused which is something that’s attractive to a wider range of people.”
And that diversity isn’t just about demographics. It’s also about mindset. “If we show young people and career changers that being a technician means working with cutting-edge tools and diagnostics, we can open doors they might not have considered before,” she added.
Mentorship and mastery
Cardus was also clear that Ford’s training programme doesn’t end with formal education. Mentoring is embedded into the system. “We expect master technicians to mentor not just apprentices but also other technicians in the dealership. That knowledge-sharing is critical to keep the workforce adaptable and skilled as tech continues to change.”
The path to the top is aspirational. Technicians can work toward achieving Level 4 qualifications – what Ford calls its “EV Expert” status.
“If you become a Level 4 technician, that’s really the pinnacle of technical achievement,” said Cardus. “It makes you a very marketable asset – not just for Ford, but across the industry.”
Despite the investment in skills, Cardus acknowledged the ongoing challenge of recruitment. “There’s a shortage of technicians across the industry, not just at Ford. We don’t have a single solution, but one part of the answer is showing people that this is a viable, modern, and rewarding career.”
Currently, Ford has 2,000 qualified technicians in its UK network, with 1,800 already EV-qualified. The new EV centre of excellence will play a key role in scaling that number, supporting the network’s transformation as electric vehicle adoption accelerates.
Cardus envisages that within the next decade, a switch will occur where EVs become the foundation of a technician’s training: “I see us having an opportunity where a technician is an EV technician first and then optionally chooses to take internal combustion as an add on. That’s a huge switch.”