Best-of-the-best head to WorldSkills UK
Industry body, the Institute of the Motor Industry (IMI), is continuing to champion automotive talent by taking 24 finalists to this year’s WorldSkills UK Live competition in Birmingham on 21-23 November.
With a clear focus on working with the motor retail sector to address the ever-widening skills gap, the IMI’s Skill Auto competition sets out to find the best apprentices across a number of different skills. A series of heats ran throughout the year, with the finalists now heading to WorldSkills UK Live where they will undergo intensive competition over three days to find the best of the best.
WorldSkills UK Live is the largest skills and careers event in the country, designed to help shape the future of a new generation. Attracting nearly 80,000 visitors annually, the show provides hands-on experiences that inspire young people to explore careers and motivates them to find out more about the world of work. It also provides the setting for competitions for a wide range of skills, with the winners standing a chance of being selected for WorldSkills in Shanghai, China.
This year finalists in the IMI Skill Auto competition come from right across the UK and will be demonstrating their skills in all the key competencies required in the automotive sector. The IMI currently offers 16 different apprenticeship standards, recently launching three new ones for automotive repair professionals, demonstrating its commitment to help industry employers attract, develop and retain talent in motor careers.
IMI Skill Auto 2019 Finalists
Refinishing
| Aubrey Whiteside | Riverpark Training | David Irvine sprayers | 18 |
| Josh Millar | Transport Training Services | Wright Bus | 21 |
| Craig Kennedy | Riverpark Training | Howells ARC | 19 |
| Nathan Palfrey | Babcock Technical Academy | Cooper BMW York | 22 |
| Jack Groves | Volvo TDC | STURGESS bodycraft. | 18 |
| Josh Jones | NPTC Group – Pontardawe College | Scuffed Up | 19 |
Heavy Vehicle
| Claire Weller | Skillnet | Adams Morey Portsmouth, | 21 |
| John Dudley | Skillnet | MOTUS COMMERCIALS | 25 |
| James Hillocks | Stevenson College | Mc truck and bus | 21 |
| David Bodie | Stevenson College | Hartshorne motor services | 40 |
| Matthew Hands | Skillnet | Brian Currie Bedford | 21 |
| Keith Kelly | South West College – Omagh Campus | B mc caffrey and sons | 25 |
Body Repair
| Connor Davison | Riverpark Training and Development | 21 | |
| Chris McCarley | Riverpark Training and Development | Charles Hurst ARC | 21 |
| Graeme Nevin | Riverpark Training and Development | Wright’s accident repair centre | 18 |
| Dominic Mills | Training 2000 Limited | HBPanelcraft | 20 |
| Matthew Sutton | Training 2000 Limited | Abbot’s Car Repairs Ltd | 18 |
| Rowen Small | Remit Training | Apollo motor group Cheltenham | 20 |
