Edinburgh College recently welcomed a delegation of TVET colleagues from Mauritius, made up of training staff from project lead Saint Gabriel Technical College (SGTC) and the Mauritian Institute of Training and Development (MITD), as part of a British Council-funded project helping partner organisations develop their electric bus maintenance skills, while sharing their own expertise and approaches.
The group of four personnel – SGTC’s Bruno Chellamootoo and Terry Leveque, along with the MITD’s Vijaysingh Chuttur and Khemrajsingh Rampersand – undertook an intensive three days heavy electric vehicle maintenance course, achieving a UK IMI Certificate Level 3 at the Sighthill campus.
The College’s Kieran Lydon, Curriculum Team Manager for Automotive Engineering and Alan Phillips, Automotive Lecturer led the training on specialised equipment, including the recently acquired Ford Transit EV trainer. The chassis allows for in-depth views of its inner workings, while a range of faults can be inserted to simulate real-world problems.
The group also enjoyed a visit to the College’s wider Engineering facilities at the Midlothian campus, observing workshop layouts with guidance from Fraser Wilson, Curriculum Team Manager for Engineering and Advanced Manufacturing, while lecturer Daniel Wright provided our guests with a chance to try out some virtual reality welding equipment.
The areas of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) and STEM were also of particular interest to the delegation, with EDI Lead Nina Munday and STEM Co-ordinator for Engineering Catherine Brotherton giving presentations on how those principles are applied at Edinburgh College.
This international skills partnership, supported by funding from the British Council’s Going Global Partnerships programme, focuses on supporting trainers in Mauritius to develop their own heavy electric vehicle maintenance skills and to enhance their knowledge of working with the technology, while allowing them the opportunity to share their own methods and expertise, with a view to informing the approach moving forward.
Upon their return, the participating trainers will support the transfer of knowledge and skills within their respective institutions, helping to build sustainable local training capacity in heavy electric vehicle maintenance.
With electric bus fleets having been introduced in Mauritius, this project is contributing to its wider ambitions to modernise public transport, build local technical capacity and support the transition towards cleaner and more sustainable mobility solutions.
A highlight of the week in Edinburgh was an opportunity to visit the Lothian Buses central depot and head office at Annandale Street. Lothian Buses is the UK’s largest municipally owned bus company and is the holder of the November, 2025 UK Bus Awards ‘Top City Operator’ and Bus Operator of the Year 2026 at the UK National Transport Awards.
The group was welcomed to Lothian Buses by Dylan Dastey, Lothian Buses Engineering Director and Paul Baxter, Chief Engineer. They were shown the organisation of the maintenance facility, a number of electric vehicles and also the tracking systems employed for seeing the citywide charging status of vehicles out on operations.
Dylan Dastey of Lothian Buses said: “We were delighted to welcome delegates to Lothian and offer an insight into our Engineering function, including our highly regarded apprenticeship scheme.
“As the city’s main public transport operator, we are committed to working with key partners, sharing best practice to maintain high standards and support compliance across the sector. As new technologies emerge and evolve, sharing best practice and learning from operators and suppliers across the industry is more important than ever.”
Jon Buglass, Deputy Principal added: “It was wonderful to welcome the delegation from Mauritius, and show them first-hand the important work we are doing teaching our students how to properly maintain and service electric buses.
“The skills needed to work on electric vehicles are becoming increasingly vital as Scotland transitions towards a net-zero future, and we are proud to share our expertise with international partners who are pursuing their own green objectives.”
A cultural close to the week was an Edinburgh Bus Tours open top bus trip around the city’s key sights.
British Council Going Global Partnerships support universities, colleges and wider education stakeholders around the world to work together towards stronger, equitable, inclusive, more internationally connected higher education, science and TVET.
The partnership has also engaged with stakeholders which include the Mauritius Qualifications Authority (MQA), the National Transport Corporation (NTC), HSBC Mauritius and government representatives to support this wider development of electric vehicle maintenance skills in Mauritius.
