More than 20 Bermudians were welcomed to the start of a Kia training and certification programme at Bermuda College this morning.

The weeklong course will see college students join employees from Bermuda Motors and the Bermuda Government’s Works & Engineering Department, as well as three overseas trainees.

They will be taught about system diagnosis and hybrid and electrical vehicle technology through a combination of theory and practical work.

“Effective or efficient diagnosis requires some complex methodology, so for the technician, knowing how the system works is not enough — he needs to know how to use that knowledge,” Nazzareno Mascetti, original instructor for Kia Motors Corporation in Miami, told The Royal Gazette.

“This particular week we are going to do a technical course,” he said, adding that the first two days will cover system diagnosis, while the second half of the course will provide an overview of hybrid and electrical vehicle technology.

“Somewhere in the middle of that we have some practice here in the shop. We are trying to reproduce as much as we can real-life situations with the technical people here in Bermuda.”

David Gibbons, chairman of Bermuda Motors, added: “It’s going to be a fascinating and interesting course and we look forward to all of you coming out of this with a better understanding of the wonderful machines that Kia make.”

Mr Gibbons said was “the number one vehicle sold in Bermuda” and he stressed that service is “the most important thing”.

“Understanding the vehicle, being able to repair them, communicate with the customer, setting the highest standard with courses such as this is incredibly important.”

Mr Gibbons explained that Kia does regional training through its Miami office, “but they also like to do satellite training to make things a little more diverse and interesting”.

Krishna King, the company’s general manager, suggested Bermuda hold a course and after putting the word out to the rest of the Caribbean trainees from the Cayman Islands, Barbados and Belize signed up.

The three overseas trainees will join 12 employees from Bermuda Motors, four employees from the Department of Works & Engineering, and the Bermuda College students.

Speaking at the start of the programme, Bermuda College president Duranda Greene thanked Bermuda Motors for investing in their employees and inviting college students to participate.

“It’s partnerships like these, with industry working together with Bermuda College and the public sector, that will see the number of Bermudians in technical education in Bermuda increase.

“Technology is constantly changing and it is imperative that employees and students are constantly trained to keep up with the changes.”

Craig Cannonier, the Minister of Public Works, noted that the Government had partnered with Bermuda Motors for training for several years.

“I am delighted that we have this opportunity this morning once again of training apprentices, of upgrading the skills of our young men and women involved in this automotive career.

Noting that it “hasn’t been easy keeping our vehicles on the road”, he added: “I’m hoping that with this programme it will go a long way to ensuring that our cars that are on the road and our trucks and vehicles are well serviced.”