Technical Accreditation

Health and safety and raising awareness of product developments and new initiatives is at the forefront of everything we do and as part of this, we have a duty to support and develop technical experts to enable them to do their jobs.

Below is an overview of each accreditation offered to technical professionals in the field:

• Light Vehicle

  Our light vehicle accreditations are designed for technicians whose work involves the inspection, maintenance and repair of light vehicles. They include full route and standalone accreditations.

  The job levels within light vehicle accreditations are as follows:

  Service Maintenance Technician

  This individual should ideally have at least two years’ experience to ensure they are familiar with the skills, knowledge and techniques required to service, maintain and repair vehicles.

  Diagnostic Technician

  This individual should have at least three years’ experience to ensure they are familiar with the skills, knowledge and techniques required to diagnose system faults, rectify faults, replace components and return vehicle systems to manufacturer specifications.

  Master Technician

  This individual should have at least five years’ experience to ensure they are familiar with the skills, knowledge and techniques required to diagnose system faults, rectify faults, replace components, liaise with customers and transfer their technical knowledge to apprentices and other technicians.

• Motorcycle

  Our motorcycle accreditations are designed for technicians whose work involves the maintenance and repair of motorcycles. They include full route and standalone accreditations.

  The job levels within motorcycle accreditations are as follows:

  Service Maintenance Technician - this individual should ideally have at least two years’ experience to ensure they are familiar with the skills, knowledge and techniques required to service, maintain and repair motorcycles.

  Diagnostic Technician

  This individual should have at least three years’ experience to ensure they are familiar with the skills, knowledge and techniques required to diagnose system faults, rectify faults, replace components and return motorcycle systems to manufacturer specifications.

  Master Technician

  This individual should have at least five years’ experience to ensure they are familiar with the skills, knowledge and techniques required to diagnose system faults, rectify faults, replace components, liaise with customers and transfer their technical knowledge to apprentices and other technicians.

• Accident Repair

  Our accident repair accreditations are designed for individuals who are involved in repairing vehicles that have been involved in accidents and cover areas such as vehicle damage assessment, cosmetic repair, paint, panels and autoglazing. They include full route and standalone accreditations for job levels in the following areas.

• Autoglazing

  These accreditations are intended for individuals working in the glazing sector of the automotive industry and the levels for these accreditations are:

  Grade 2 Technician

  These individuals must have at least two years’ experience to ensure they are familiar with skills, knowledge and techniques required to replace and repair automotive glazing units.

  Grade 1 Technicians

  These individuals must have at least three years’ experience to ensure they are familiar with the skills, knowledge and techniques required to replace and repair automotive glazing units.

  Bodyshop Technicians

  These individuals must have at least three years’ experience to ensure they are familiar with the skills, knowledge and techniques required to replace and repair automotive glazing units.

  Master Technicians

  These individuals must have at least five years’ experience to ensure they are familiar with the skills, knowledge and techniques required to diagnose, rectify and support technicians on a range of tasks, including returning vehicle systems to manufacturer specifications.

• Panel

  The two levels of job roles for panel accreditations are:

  Technician

  These individuals should have at least two years’ experience to ensure they are familiar with the skills, knowledge and techniques required to repair and replace body components, such as vehicle body panels and their associated parts.

  Senior Technician

  These individuals should have at least three years’ experience to ensure they are familiar with the skills, knowledge and techniques required to repair & replace body components. This includes returning vehicle alignment to manufacturer specification and rectifying bodyshell faults.

• Vehicle Damage Assessor

  This accreditation is intended for individuals who estimate damage repairs for vehicles involved in accidents and similar incidents.

  These individuals should have at least three years’ experience to ensure they are familiar with the skills, knowledge and techniques required to determine vehicle damage, and to identify the right repair method to return the vehicle to its pre accident condition.

• Cosmetic Repair

  These accreditations are intended for individuals whose job involves repairing vehicle exterior bodywork using vehicle SMART/cosmetic repair techniques. The three levels of job role within cosmetic repair are:

  PDR Technician

  Tthese individuals should ideally have at least two years’ experience to ensure they are familiar with the techniques used for PDR.

  Technician

  These individuals should ideally have at least two years’ experience to ensure they are familiar with the skills, knowledge and techniques required.

  Senior Technician

  These individuals should ideally have at least three years’ experience to ensure they are familiar with the skills, knowledge and techniques required.

• Mechanical, Electrical, Trim (MET)

  The levels for these accreditations are:

  Technician

  This individual should have at least two years’ experience to ensure they have the skills, knowledge and techniques required to remove, refit or replace mechanical items and trim.

  Senior Technician

  This individual should have at least three years’ experience to ensure they have the skills, knowledge and techniques required to replace various components, to diagnose system faults and to return vehicle systems to manufacturer specifications.

• Specialist

  Our specialist accreditations are designed for technicians in a variety of areas, including Fast Fit, roadside assistance, air conditioning and digital audio broadcasting (DAB) radios. They include full route and standalone accreditations in the following areas.

• Fast Fit

  The job levels within the Fast Fit accreditations are as follows:

  Technician

  This individual should be working in the Fast Fit sector of the industry and ideally have at least six months experience to ensure they are familiar with the skills, knowledge and techniques required to repair vehicles using Fast Fit activities. This includes the repair and replacement of tyres, batteries and rotating electrical components.

  Service Technician

  This individual should be working in the Fast Fit sector of the industry and ideally have at least two years’ experience to ensure they are familiar with the skills, knowledge and techniques required to repair vehicles using Fast Fit activities. This includes the repair and replacement of tyres, batteries and rotating electrical components, as well as the ability to service and maintain light vehicles and their systems within the manufacturer guidelines.

• Roadside Assistance

  These accreditations are intended for technicians whose job involves assisting, recovering and repairing light vehicles at the roadside. The job levels within the roadside assistance accreditations are:

  • Tyre Technician
  • Assistance/Recovery Technician
  • Diagnostic Technician
  • Master Technician
• Air Conditioning

  These accreditations are for technicians whose job involves the maintenance, repair or accident repair (MET role or similar) of light vehicles and who have contact with the vehicle’s air conditioning system during their work.

  The job levels within air conditioning accreditations are:

  • Refrigeration Handler
  • Service Technician
  • Diagnostic Technician

  It is important to note that the EU F-Gas legislation (517/2014) replaced the 2006 regulations from January 2015. Training and certification in the 2014 F-Gas regulations are based largely on the existing requirements in the 2006 regulations, with existing qualifications remaining valid.

• DAB radio

  The DAB radio accreditations are for technicians whose job involves installing, replacing or upgrading DAB radio components. The one job level for a DAB radio accreditation is as follows:

  Radio Installation Technician

  This individual should be working in the auto electrical sector of the industry and ideally have at least one year of experience to ensure they are familiar with the skills, knowledge and techniques required to fit replacement DAB radio equipment or adapt analogue radios to receive digital signals.

• Parts

  The parts accreditations are for individuals helping customers with any enquiries related to parts, whether that’s in a parts factory or the parts department of a business. The levels for these accreditations are:

  Parts Advisor

  This individual should have a minimum of three months experience working in the parts sector of the industry.

  Senior Parts Advisor

  This individual should have a minimum of three years’ experience working in the parts sector of the industry.

• IRTEC

  Our Irtec Accreditations enable technicians in road transport to prove their skills and competence.

  About Irtec

  Irtec was established by the Institute of Road Transport Engineers (IRTE), which is the professional sector of the Society of Operations Engineers (SOE). In 2010, the SOE formed a partnership with IMI to improve industry competence and standards.

  The two organisations now work together to develop and deliver Irtec, to ensure it always meets the needs of employers and the motor industry.

  Irtec licensing is quality assured by IMI Awards Ltd, including the approval of new Irtec assessment centres and the monitoring of assessments.

  Irtec assessments and licences

  Irtec assessments involve theoretical and practical skills tests. If a technician passes this assessment, they are awarded an Irtec licence, which certifies the individual and is valid for five years. Irtec licence holders are also eligible for a Halfords trade card.

  Irtec has routes available in the following categories:

  • Bus and coach
  • Heavy vehicle trailer
  • Large commercial vehicle