AT THE HEART OF THE ROAD TRANSPORT INDUSTRY.

Call our Sales Team on 0208 912 2120

IVECO TRAINS TECHNICIANS FOR TOMORROW'S TASKS

27th April 2006, Page 64
27th April 2006
Page 64
Page 65
Page 64, 27th April 2006 — IVECO TRAINS TECHNICIANS FOR TOMORROW'S TASKS
Close
Noticed an error?
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.

Which of the following most accurately describes the problem?

CM was invited to iveco's VVinsford base in Cheshire earlier this month to see how apprentice technicians are developed before becoming fully qualified service staff. Tim Maughan reports.

In order to prepare its apprentice technicians for the demands of the modern workshop, Iveco has split its Service Apprentice Programme into two distinct categories: the Iveco Craft Certificate, NVQ2 level: and the Advanced Certificate, which takes apprentices up to the NVQ3 standard.

Training manager John Adams explains that Iveco is currently putting 130 trainees through their paces. Some 85% of them are immediately placed on the Advanced programme, with the remaining 15% on the Craft course.

Local Iveco dealerships take on school leavers, subject to preliminary tests.Apprentices don't need formal qualifications, says Adams, although they must show spatial awareness, and literacy and numeracy skills.These entry checks are administered by Retail Motor IndustryTraining.

Successful personnel operate under the umbrella of the dealership, hut attend block tuition. "The practical training is conducted here at Winsford, and the theory is carried out at Stoke-on-Trent College,"Adams reports.

Block training for apprentices on the Advanced programme comprises a one-week induction, followed by eight two-week sessions in the first two years. In the third year, students undergo four two-week blocks.

The Advanced course is designed to make all-round technicians and diagnostics experts. On the day of our visit we met development engineer Clauss Hoffmann. In a , Iveco thought-provoking display he theatrically dropped a mobile er diagnostics unit on a hard workshop floor.-They're made to military standards," remark.sAdams. The Advanced course, in part. prepares apprentices to handle such equipment.

As an alternative to the NVQ3 course, students can take the Iveco Craft Certificate.This takes 17 weeks, split over two years. It transforms school leavers into technicians, but not diagnostics experts. Adams stresses that having successfully attained the Iveco Craft Certificate, technicians can take on a third year of study, which gives them that diagnostic knowledge—the icing on the cake.

"The NVQ2 holders are very good practical technicians, but the NVQ3 makes the advanced diagnostics experts," he says.

All students have access to the Iveco We b Academy, which enables them to communicate, via computer, with their mentors.

Adams acknowledges that school discipline in Britain is not what it was. As a result, some young apprentices may find it hard to knuckle down in the classroom. To remedy this. Iveco has integrated the Brathay Development Programme, run by a learning trust. into its training programmes. Here, students visit Brathay Hall in the Lake District to hone their interpersonal skills in the working environment.

It's a holistic approach that prepares personnel for the cut and thrust of life in a modern workshop. "This has given our training a unique dimension, so that apprentices work as part of a team, not only during training but also back at their dealerships." says Adams.

• For more details on Iveco's apprenticeships: 01606541 070


comments powered by Disqus