Principal lecturer Kevin O’Neill and Senior lecturer Tim Wallace led a series of intensive practical workshops in partnership with the Illinois Green Economy Network (IGEN).

The group sessions were designed to strengthen the facilitators’ confidence in delivering technical content in their own classrooms

The visit was part of a productive year of collaboration with IGEN, which is a consortium of 39 Illinois community college districts. Its focus is on upskilling educators in the fast-evolving field of green energy, particularly electric vehicle (EV) systems and sustainable automotive technologies.

The Automotive Engineering staff's trip to the State Farm Electric Vehicle Lab in Bloomington built on prevous online and in-person sessions, and covered EV systems diagnostics, safe high-voltage practices, and thermal management strategies.

“Our focus was on empowering these educators to deliver high-quality, industry-relevant training,” said Kevin.

“The group was incredibly engaged and eager to bring these skills back to their students.”

Tim added, “It’s been great to see how much progress has been made over the past year. There’s real momentum now, and it’s exciting to be part of it.”

The international collaboration highlights Otago Polytechnic’s role as a leader in applied automotive training, and reflects the value of sharing expertise across borders to support the transition to a low-emissions future.

Both kaimahi are hoping this will be an ongoing relationship with the IGEN initiative, opening the door to further workshops and collaborative projects in the future.