Approx. duration: 36 months
Start Date: Anytime
Attendance: One day a week at the Rural Campus
Entry requirements: Entry onto the Apprenticeship is subject to thorough initial assessment to clarify course suitability. You may be required to come into an interview and assessment. Entry onto the Apprenticeship is subject to 4 GCSE’s including Maths and English 9-4/A*-C or a commitment to undertake Level 2 Maths and English. Apprentices need to be employed for minimum of 30 hours a week, and have a contract of employment.
On-programme learning:
- Light Vehicle Service Maintenance Technician Standard
- EU’s 2014 F-gas
- English and Maths (if required) Level 2
End-point assessment: Delivered by IMI (The Institute of the Motor Industry)
Course Summary: Apprenticeships are work-based training programmes designed around the need of both the Apprentice and their employer.
A motor vehicle service and maintenance technician services and repairs light vehicles such as cars and vans and works either in dealerships which focus on a particular manufacturer, or in an independent garage which deals with many different makes of vehicles.
The Automotive Retail Industry provides employment for over half a million employees who work for approximately 70,000 employers. It is a major contributor to the UK economy. In a large dealership the Technician will typically report to the Workshop Controller, who in turn reports to the After-sales Manager and liaises with the Service Reception. In smaller garages the Technician will report directly to the owner or Garage Manager.
The technician must be able to work independently but also operate as an effective team member and have good customer handling skills. They will understand how their workshop and the dealership/garage functions from a commercial perspective and identify ways in which they can work more efficiently. Technicians working in large dealerships work with other departments, for example carrying out work for the Sales Department and ordering parts from the Parts Department, whereas Apprentices in smaller independent garages may be called upon to carry out some of the function of the other departments themselves, for example managing their own delivery of parts.
The technician will work on all the systems found within the vehicle. The day-to-day work ranges from replacing simple parts through to solving complex faults with the use of diagnostic methods and equipment. The tasks faced are constantly changing, driven by the introduction of ever more complex technologies and diagnostic techniques.
The growing complexity of today’s vehicles, and the pressure to deliver a high-quality customer experience, requires the retail automotive sector to attract and train high calibre individuals and this is reflected in the elements of the Standard described below.
Notes: This standard has been designed to be recognised by relevant Professional Engineering Institutions and successful apprentices can apply for the appropriate level of professional registration (EngTech).