A group of Motor Vehicle students swapped the sunny shores of Cyprus this week for our very own Clydebank campus! 17 Level 1 students and 2 lecturers were welcomed from Limassol, Cyprus as part of an exchange programme between their Technical School and the College.

Our highly experienced Motor Vehicle team will be educating the group in new technologies in the automotive industry including an introduction to electric/hybrid vehicle technology in our state-of-the-art workshop as well as learning more about modern automotive diagnostic equipment used within the industry.

During their trip to Scotland which will take place from 6-18 March, Motor Vehicle lecturer Peter Heywood, has organised various enriching group excursions and experiences for the students.

The group visited local luxury dealership, Porsche Glasgow for a site tour which included exploring a selection of new and used Porsche and Ferrari vehicles, a tour of the repair workshop and paint shop, and even a souvenir mug, courtesy of Porsche Glasgow.

A further visit was enjoyed to the Arnold Clark Innovation Centre to look at a range of electric/hybrid vehicles, including the charging infrastructure for at home charging.

Last week Polestar Vehicles, an electric performance car brand, generously supplied a vehicle which was brought to the Clydebank campus for a demonstration.

On the final days of their trip this week, the group from Cyprus will take in more Scottish cultural tours and even face off against the lecturers in a light-hearted football match.

Speaking of the exchange, Peter said,

"They are all delighted to be here and to learn. They are like sponges, they would just absorb anything you would tell them. They were very receptive to what we had to teach them. A lot of what they are getting here, they can't get at home. The industry is changing so much that the vast majority of cars being sold are hybrid electric, so they wanted to know a bit about that."

The students have said: “We would all like to thank Peter and the staff at West College Scotland Clydebank Motor Vehicle for being hospitable and giving us an introduction to new electric vehicles and hydrogen fuel cell technology”.