IMI Skills Competition Body Repair Masterclass

This year’s IMI Skills Competition Body Repair finalists headed to Rugby for a hands-on masterclass at Car-O-Liner's state of the art training centre. This session offered competitors a rare opportunity to become familiar with the tools and equipment they’ll use at the national finals.

Practice Makes Perfect

At the heart of the day was a practical training designed to replicate the competition environment. Finalists rotated through tasks focusing on MAG welding, spot welding and MIG brazing. Competitors are building not just technical ability, but confidence, problem-solving, and time-management skills.

The group got to grips with Car-O-Liner’s high-performance equipment, including body realignment systems, manual measuring tools, and the Car-O-Tronic digital measuring system, ensuring that when the finals arrive, these tools feel like extensions of their own skillset.

Belal Al Haka, a returning finalist aiming for gold this year, said:

"I really liked working with the jig, it shows you exactly how unaligned the body of the car is. Coming back this year is a great opportunity to refresh my training, ask questions, and take lots of notes. I’m aiming for gold this time, so every bit of practice counts."

Belal Al Haka, Panel and MET Technician

Equipping Competitors

Daniel Sweet AMIMI, IMI Accredited Assessor, Vehicle Body Repair and Refinishing Lecturer at Cardiff and Vale College, noted:

“Car-O-Liner's expert training on both the manual and Car-O-Tronic measuring systems has been invaluable in preparing the competitors. Their guidance ensures every competitor is equipped with the precision skills and the confidence needed to excel at the final.”

James Bown, International Training Manager for Body Repair, reflected:

"It was fantastic to be invited by Car-O-Liner to deliver training for the masterclass. As a huge supporter of WorldSkills, I’m really looking forward to seeing the next generation of talent progressing to the international stage.

All of the competitors were brilliant, their skill levels were fantastic, and they really listened and applied the feedback throughout the day. It’s great to see how much they progressed."

Looking Forward: National Finals in Cardiff

With the masterclass a successful day for the competitors, we now look forward to the IMI Skills Competition National Finals taking place at Cardiff and Vale College this November. There, the finalists will have the chance to showcase not only their technical skills, but the resilience, confidence, and adaptability they've developed through experiences like the Car-O-Liner session. 

Stuart Alexander, Managing Director, Car-O-Liner (UK) Ltd, added:

"Once again, we are delighted to be providing the IMI masterclass training for the WorldSkills 2025 competitors here at our Car-O-Liner training facility in Rugby. On a personal note, mentoring and training is my passion and it is great to give something back to an industry that has been so good to me. Seeing the talent, calibre and drive of these young people is a reward in itself.

This year will be particularly hard without our friend and colleague, Rich Hutchins, who really has been at the heart of the WorldSkills competitions for so many years, all will sorely miss his dedication, knowledge and positivity, but he would have wanted the show to go on and we at Car-O-Liner are pleased to be continuing with our support."