Truck industry needs more accredited technicians claims IMI

18 October 2012

A 50 per cent increase in the number of licensed articulated goods vehicles exceeding 40 tonnes over the past ten years* clearly demonstrates the demand for more highly skilled and industry accredited heavy vehicle technicians.

That’s according to the Institute of the Motor Industry (IMI), IRTE’s partner for the irtec licensing scheme, which is focused on creating additional opportunities for truck technicians to achieve the five-year competency based accreditation across the UK.

Following the addition of the Heavy Vehicle Trailer (HVT) Inspection Technician route to the irtec licence, the IMI and its subsidiary awarding body, IMI Awards, which manages the quality assurance process for the irtec scheme, is seeking new assessment centres to provide good regional representation for individuals and employers to access.

Linda Stansfield, Chief Operating Officer, IMI, said:

"The introduction of the new irtec accreditation for trailer technicians has shown the appetite for independent standardisation and recognition of technical skills within the heavy vehicle sector. As technology continues to advance, however, we need to ensure that there are the opportunities for employers to access assessments for their technicians as flexibly as possible.The IMI Awards team is actively pursuing opportunities to develop the approved assessment centre network to facilitate this."

Organisations interested in becoming an approved centre to deliver the irtec assessments are invited to contact Ian Cheetham at IMI Awards on ianc@imiawards.org.uk

Related news article: 

First irtec trailer technicians accredited

* According to statistics published by the Department for Transport, in 2000, around 26 per cent of articulated goods vehicles licensed were over 40 tonnes. In 2010 this proportion had risen to 72 per cent. Between 2009 and 2010, the amount of goods moved by GB-registered vehicles in the UK increased by 11 per cent to 139 billion tonne kilometres.

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