Shahid Khan describes himself as a regular chap from Yorkshire, who loves his food and rugby. But there’s a lot more to him than that! Shahid, who has an MSc in Building Services Engineering, set up his training company, Tesla Technical Training Ltd in 2015, when he spotted the opportunity to provide training for a major client with whom he was working at the time. Bradford based, Tesla Technical Training, has recently been approved as an LCL Awards centre.

Shahid’s passion for the electrotechnical began early. Sixteen years ago he started working for his father’s electrical firm before making the move into training at a couple of privately run training centres before setting up on his own. Alongside Tesla Technical Training, Shahid has taken on management and quality assurance roles for other organisations such as EAL (SEMTA) and BPEC.

He was a technical manager for the Electrical Contractors' Association, supporting its 3,000 members with technical guidance. He also managed their technical committee and represented the ECA on several standards committees, including JPEL64, which maintains BS7671.

Shahid is currently Specialist Standardization Engineer for the global electrical products manufacturer, Eaton and has a particular interest in Smart Technologies and Intelligent Buildings. He sees the need for a new and innovative approach to energy in the UK:

“A practical attitude to energy is required for the future as we’ll have to scavenge energy from all sources – maximising production by implementing local DC microgrids for example. We need to continue to diversify the national energy grid, using a combination of sources that will include nuclear, renewables and, in increasingly lower proportions, fossil fuels. Most importantly of all, we must develop a smart control and automation system in order to improve efficiencies and prevent energy wastage”

Shahid’s pragmatic attitude to the challenges of ensuring a stable future energy supply is reflected in his logical approach to training:

“I want to help people become properly qualified electrical installers. My LCL learners are all experienced individuals who have, for one reason or another, been let down and unable to complete their full apprenticeships, for example. Others are mature adult learners who are looking for a definitive career change. To enable these people make a living as an electrical installer I’ve chosen to deliver LCL Awards’ Level 3 Certificate in Installing, Testing and Ensuring Compliance of Electrical Installations in Dwellings.

“This particular qualification is stated in the EAS specification, which gives it credence as a legitimate pathway for those interested in joining the electrical trade. It is also an approved route to attain NAPIT registration.  Once I’ve got this qualification properly established, I’ll be working with LCL Awards to add a series of renewable qualifications to the list of approved qualifications through Tesla Technical Training – Battery Storage and Solar PV are next!

“There are a lot of training centres out there, but we try and offer something different.

"Our class sizes are small and we’re very flexible. We can offer out-of-hours delivery and bespoke programs to suit our learners’ needs. Me and the other trainers who work here are a tight team, and because of my other interests in the sector I am fortunate to benefit from a very experienced network of industry greats! This gives me a rich, deep network to depend on; to ensure the training we offer is always on point.  Maintaining our reputation and winning repeat business every year are our true measures of success.”

To learn more about what Shahid offers at Tesla Technical Training, please click here.

For more information on how LCL Awards can help your centre deliver the full range of qualifications you’d like to offer, please click here.