Green light for single skills
The continued long term funding for apprenticeships in core occupations including paint, panel and mechanical in the automotive collision repair sector has been secured.
Following extensive consultation with the Department for Business Innovation & Skills, the Collision Repair Sector Trailblazer Group will now develop standards in these core disciplines to safeguard long established occupations.
According to the Collision Repair Sector Trailblazer Group, without funding for single skills apprenticeships in paint, panel and mechanical, recognised qualifications in core occupations required to safely and efficiently repair collision damaged vehicles could have been lost.
Trailblazer chair, Tom Hudd, UKARRC technical services manager, Direct Line Group said, ‘The industry is in need of modern repair techniques to be added to the individual disciplines that this Trailblazer group are passionate about building, we will create forward thinking apprenticeships that will support the industry in building a solid platform for the future.’
Adam Murray, motor technical manager, Aviva said, ‘The industry has significantly changed with new technology in every class of vehicle becoming the norm, this changing technology introduces the requirement to learn and adopt modern repair techniques linked to the individual disciplines this Trailblazer group will assist to create. The learning capability needs to be embedded in the apprenticeships that will support the industry create a solid platform for the future.’
Over the coming weeks and months, the group will build a comprehensive consultation and communication plan to ensure the standards are fit for the future of the automotive collision repair sector. It will also work collaboratively with other automotive repair groups that have already started on this journey, to ensure all standards complement each other and enable the safe and effective repair of motor vehicles by highly skilled technicians.
The Collision Repair Sector Trailblazer Group consists of Ageas, Apollo Motor Group, Aviva, AXA, Balgores, Barrett’s of Canterbury, BMW, Ford Retail, The IMI, LV, Nationwide, NCR Bodyshop, Ridgeway, Solus, UKAARC, Vizion Network, VWG and XL Motors.
