ATA scheme celebrates 5,000th technician

Nineteen year old Paul Gibbons, who is employed at Charles Braddock Ltd, in Sale, Cheshire, is the 5,000th technician to achieve the Automotive Technician Accreditation (ATA) standard, which is governed by the Institute of the Motor Industry (IMI).

Paul, who has worked at Charles Braddock since joining as an apprentice four years ago, achieved his accreditation at Service Maintenance Technician level at Training and Manpower in Manchester, one of 40 independent ATA approved assessment centres in the UK.

Paul is one of three technicians at the business, all of whom have achieved their ATA recognition. Established more than 50 years ago, Charles Braddock Ltd is one of the first garages to employ a fully accredited workforce under the scheme and is also a member of the Bosch Car Care Centre network and Good Garage Scheme.

To mark the 5,000th milestone, Paul was presented with a bottle of champagne and a cheque for £200 by Sarah Sillars, Chief Executive, IMI Group of Companies.

Commented Paul Gibbons: "It's important that our customers can see that we are professionally accredited. I'm proud to be part of this scheme as I like the idea of continuous training and national industry recognition, which will be good for my career."

Peter Braddock, Managing Director, Charles Braddock Ltd, added: "We're very proud to be involved in ATA. Vehicles are becoming much more complex so there needs to be a benchmark of technical competence. Such is my confidence in the scheme, we have invested in all our technicians achieving the standard and we joined the Good Garage Scheme when it was launched last year, which is proving beneficial too."

Sarah Sillars, Chief Executive, IMI Group of Companies, said: "ATA is here to stay and achieving this milestone sends a clear message across the industry that national recognition of an individual's current competence and integrity is valued by businesses which are playing their part in raising standards to improve public perceptions of our sector. Peter and his team at Charles Braddock have clearly demonstrated their commitment to making a difference, which the IMI applauds."

An information and booking helpline has been introduced by the IMI, as an alternative option to booking direct with an ATA Approved Centre. Interested technicians and employers are invited to contact 01992 511521 if they are interested in taking the assessment locally or if they have any questions about ATA in addition to the information available on the ATA web-site, automotivetechnician.org.uk