Our Virtual Academy

Our Virtual Academy is an automotive technical training company based near Church Stretton in Shropshire, England, that sells online courses for vehicle technicians alongside face-to-face training and custom content. The about page describes the team as "highly experienced professional course writers, trainers and videographers with one focus, and one focus only. To teach." Its online library is a subscription aimed at garages and workshops, and it also runs IMI certificated courses, many of them on hybrid and electric vehicles, where completing the online training and passing a face-to-face assessment leads to a formal qualification. The footer gives the legal name as Qing Consulting Limited, trading as Our Virtual Academy.

The product serves two readers here: a workshop owner or training manager who wants a technical library for a team, and a technician who needs a recognized EV or hybrid qualification.

What a workshop gets

The 'Classic' online subscription

The subscription opens "an ever-growing catalogue of well over 200 interactive video-based training courses", according to the online training page. Subjects run from fundamentals such as basic electrics and measurement through air conditioning systems, petrol and diesel system diagnosis, and hybrid and electric vehicle safety, operation and diagnostics. The library is grouped into six areas: Fundamentals, Engine Management, Vehicle Electrics, Hybrid and Electric Vehicles, HVAC and Chassis. The home page names Essential Electrics, Engine Management and Hybrid Technology as examples and says new courses are added "all the time."

The home page pitches the subscription at independent garage owners, experienced technicians, corporate training managers and apprentices. When learners complete key milestones they can generate and print certificates of achievement. Managers can "track, monitor and measure the progress of individuals, teams and even multiple locations." The FAQ says online modules are self-paced and can be completed "without leaving the workshop", and that early-career technicians can start with foundations like Essential Electrics while experienced staff take advanced diagnostics and EV courses.

Plans and prices

The online training page lists three plans, each priced in euros, monthly or yearly:

• Single User Business plan (1 user, for a business owner): €39.99 a month or €429.99 a year.
• Small Business plan (2-5 users): €49.99 a month or €529.99 a year. Specified users can be made Managers to track the performance of users linked to the account.
• Larger Workshop plan (6-10 users): €89.99 a month or €969.99 a year.

Every plan includes all course material, personal Progress Trackers and instant access to new content on release. The page notes that business users "are not subject to UK VAT on this product." The home page also mentions Custom plans, and for tailored or group solutions buyers contact the company for a quote.

Free trial

There is a "14-Day Automotive Tech Training Free Trial." The trial page says it contains "three full multi-part chapters": a four-part chapter on plug-in hybrid and EV charging (safety, charging modes, plug types and the charging process), a two-part chapter on leak-off testing solenoid-operated diesel injectors, and a 5-part chapter on the air conditioning refrigerant cycle.

IMI certificated and blended courses

The second line is IMI certificated training. The online training page says that "The completion of IMI certificated courses, plus passing the face-to-face assessment(s) will lead to your learners gaining formally recognised qualifications." The site menu lists, among others, the IMI Level 1 Award in ADAS Awareness, IMI Level 1 in Hybrid and Electric Vehicle Awareness, the IMI Level 2 Award in Electric/Hybrid Vehicle Hazard Management (including a version for emergency and recovery personnel), IMI Level 2 and Level 3 Electric Hybrid Vehicle, IMI Level 3 Automotive Refrigerant Handling, an F Gas refrigerant handling course online, and IMI Level 4 Diagnosis, Testing and Repair of Electric/Hybrid Vehicles. The site also says it is an IMI Approved Centre.

The blended model pairs online study with a face-to-face assessment. The home page's case for it: when you factor in lost productivity and accommodation, "it can cost hundreds losing technicians from your busy workshop", and the blended courses "can help you save significantly on those fees." Assessment is flexible. Our Virtual Academy can carry out the IMI assessments, or, "like many of our large clients do", an organization can assess learners through its own IMI Centre and pay only for access to the company's IMI Approved Guided Learning Hours. The online training page says these courses have enabled "thousands of technicians" to reach industry-level certification.

Face-to-face and bespoke training

Our Virtual Academy LIVE is the classroom side. Courses run from the training center near Church Stretton or from "multiple training facilities we have access to nationwide", and the team will travel to a workshop nationally or internationally. The FAQ says face-to-face sessions "typically last one to four days." The menu lists EV Tech and EV Masters roadshows of 4 days at IMI Levels 3 and 4, Formula Student High Voltage Essentials, electrical testing and diagnostics, PicoScope and vehicle network essentials, and air conditioning diagnosis. There are also high-voltage lithium battery courses for automotive technicians and for waste and recycling professionals.

The bespoke side covers custom courses delivered in person, custom online training platforms, branded training videos, VR and CGI work, video production and training consultancy. Under Corporate Solutions, the home page says its platform "can be rebranded and reconfigured" so learners see a client's brand and can take the company's courses, the client's own, or both. The company names OE training for vehicle manufacturers, sub-contracted delivery for other training providers, Train the Trainer coaching, and mixed reality work with Omega VFX Ltd.

Background

The about page says "Our founder began the high voltage vehicle journey back in 2003" and that the company has "kept our eye on the ball of electrification ever since." Its values include a pledge never to "teach a learner how to pass a test simply so they can achieve a certificate." Support runs by email, phone and contact form.

Who it suits

Our Virtual Academy suits a UK garage, dealer workshop or fleet operation that wants affordable, published-price video training for a small team, and technicians or employers who need IMI qualifications in hybrid and EV work with less time away from the workshop. Larger organizations and training providers can use their own IMI Centre or commission a branded platform.

The library is specialist automotive content, so it serves no one outside vehicle repair and related trades. The plans stop at 10 users, and anything larger goes through a custom quote.