Tuesday October 20th 2026
Edinburgh College with TVET colleagues from Mauritius at Lothian Bus depot
Written by Midlothian View Reporter, Liam Eunson
Edinburgh College has welcomed a delegation from Mauritius to its Midlothian campus as part of an international partnership aimed at developing skills in electric vehicle maintenance.
The visit formed part of a British Council-funded project supporting trainers in Mauritius to build expertise in maintaining heavy electric vehicles, including electric buses, as the country moves towards cleaner public transport.
Four training staff from Saint Gabriel Technical College and the Mauritian Institute of Training and Development travelled to Scotland for a programme combining technical training, engineering demonstrations and opportunities to share knowledge.
The delegation completed an intensive three-day heavy electric vehicle maintenance course at Edinburgh College’s Sighthill campus, achieving a UK Institute of the Motor Industry (IMI) Level 3 certificate.
Training was led by Kieran Lydon, curriculum team manager for automotive engineering, and automotive lecturer Alan Phillips, who demonstrated specialist equipment including a recently acquired Ford Transit electric vehicle trainer.
The group also visited the college’s engineering facilities at its Midlothian campus, where they learned about workshop layouts and tried virtual reality welding equipment.
Fraser Wilson, curriculum team manager for engineering and advanced manufacturing, guided the visitors around the facilities, while lecturer Daniel Wright introduced them to the welding technology.
The delegation also heard about the college’s approaches to equality, diversity and inclusion, as well as encouraging participation in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) subjects.
As part of the visit, the group travelled to Lothian Buses’ central depot and head office on Annandale Street in Edinburgh.
There, they were shown the operator’s engineering and maintenance facilities, electric buses and tracking systems used to monitor the charging status of vehicles across the city.
Dylan Dastey, engineering director at 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.”
Edinburgh College deputy principal Jon Buglass said: “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.”
The partnership aims to help the Mauritian trainers pass on their newly acquired knowledge to colleagues when they return home, building long-term training capacity in electric vehicle maintenance.
With electric buses already introduced to Mauritius, the project is intended to support the country’s ambitions to modernise public transport and develop the technical skills needed to maintain its growing fleet.
The British Council’s Going Global Partnerships programme supports collaboration between education and training organisations internationally, with the project also involving transport operators, government representatives and other organisations in Mauritius.
The delegation’s visit concluded with an open-top Edinburgh Bus Tours trip around the capital’s main attractions.
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