9:24 am, July 2, 2008
THE 9000th technician to achieve the Automotive Technician Accreditation standard has just been awarded his certificate.
Paul West has risen through the ranks via an apprenticeship at Inchcape Volkswagen Chelmsford, and studied for his accreditation at Volkswagen Group’s Milton Keynes training centre. He joins the 450-strong rank of VW technicians to gain ATA status.
West was certainly chuffed – he got a bottle of champagne and £250 for his efforts. ‘I’ve worked hard to achieve service maintenance technician status with Volkswagen,’ he said.
‘As part of our intensive training programme, we already receive certification from Volkswagen, but it’s great to receive an industry recognised accreditation which the public can understand as a sign of independent quality and which I can use throughout the rest of my career.’
A campaign to raise awareness of the ATA scheme to the public will be unveiled on 23 July at the British International Motor Show. The IMI is hosting a special industry event to launch the campaign, there’ll be a dedicated ATA stand at the show, and a major programme of media activity is planned over the next six months.
Sarah Sillars, Chief Executive of the IMI said: ‘ATA has been embraced by the whole industry, which in itself is a tremendous achievement for our sector and one which has been welcomed by consumer groups.’
