Why CPD is so important within the automotive industry?
Few industries have faced such a significant upheaval as the automotive sector. Independent workshops, dealerships, and garages across the country are constantly upskilling and adapting their business model to remain competitive.
Investing in new tools and equipment is part of a garage’s lifecycle. It just makes good business sense while also maintaining the quality of service. Equally upskilling workforces to manage the demands of the evolving vehicle car parc should be a priority.
Encouragingly, the training message has been resonating across the industry with increasing numbers of vehicle technicians upskilling. We are not operating in a stagnant sector though so, as the industry continues to foster a culture of training, Continuous Professional Development (CPD) should be built into annual training strategies.
MOT testers have faced CPD for years as not keeping up with their annual training and assessment will jeopardise their ability to continue testing. Now, reflecting the MOT CPD, the IMI’s TechSafe recognises a vehicle technician’s EV and ADAS skills and qualification achievements within the IMI Professional Register. To remain on the register, within 3 years of qualifying a technician MUST undertake 18 hours of IMI approved TechSafe CPD for Electric Vehicles and 10 hours for ADAS.
For many, the thought of fitting in CPD when a garage’s work schedule is already packed may seem overwhelming. However, CPD activities can take many forms, including activities which can be done as part of a day-to-day role.
It could be reading a relevant article, learning on the job from peers or joining an online training session – it all counts. There are many automotive-specific CPD courses available and digital spaces for the storing of vital documents; training records and certificates which count towards CPD. Autotech Training offers CPD courses and a digital repository for storage of documents and certificates which count towards Continuous Professional Development.
In a further step to support CPD Autotech Training has also just launched a new Learning Management System (LMS). An online training platform, LMS incorporates a series of short courses, covering both technical and soft skills, along with IMI TechSafe CPD routes to enable continuous upskilling, at any time of the day.
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