Going the extra mile to improve motor industry skills
- Winners of the first Skillmiles Recognition Awards are announced by the IMI.
The Institute of the Motor Industry (IMI) celebrated the achievements of companies and individuals in the Skillmiles scheme this week at its annual dinner held at the Grosvenor House Hotel in London.
Hosted by Steve Nash, Chairman of the IMI, the recognition awards provide a meaningful way to acknowledge those efforts and pay tribute to those actively making a difference to the industry through their work and commitment to improving performance.
The Skillmiles scheme was launched just over a year ago by the IMI as a pioneering way to recognise the support given to aid skills development across the automotive sector.
It enables the IMI, as a Professional Body and the Sector Skills Council, to demonstrate to the industry, employers and Government that many companies and individuals in our sector are making valuable contributions to raising skill levels, much of which had not previously been recognised on a national level.
Speaking at the awards, Steve Nash said:
"The level of support received has been tremendous with participants from large, medium and small organisations and to date, 100,000 Skillmiles points have been awarded. With each skill mile worth £10, this is the equivalent of £1 million worth of support from across the sector for the benefit to the industry as a whole. Huge thanks must go to all the contributors who have helped the IMI support the wider industry"
Five awards were presented on the night to the companies or individuals who had finished at the top of their respective categories with three special awards also being presented. This year's winners were:
Lloyds TSB Autolease - Gold Award (Large Company)
Lloyds TSB Autolease have actively promoted within the industry, the work of the IMI and the benefits of membership. Their contribution to raising skill levels has included the donation of former fleet vehicles to colleges and their participation in the IMI's Automotive Ambassador programme.
Snap-on - Platinum Award (Medium Company)
Snap-on have been a supporter of Skillmiles since its inception and they continue to work tirelessly to support skills training in this country. They have worked closely with the Bluecycle Partnership to donate vehicles to the less privileged in the industry and are also involved in a similar scheme to help young offenders who are about to be released into the community gain valuable skills for employment.
Pico Technology - Platinum Award (Small Company)
Staff at Pico Technology have given their time for free to assist at colleges and ATA centres and have also discounted their technical equipment provided to colleges and any member of the IMI. They have helped with the Continuing Professional Development of those working in the industry by contributing diagnostic articles to the trade press.
Rogers Waters - Platinum Award (Sole Trader)
Roger has given continued support to the IMI and has organised a number of meetings held by the Motor Manufacturers Technical Training Group. He has given his time for free to help employers with their training and skills development needs and has attended numerous meetings to discuss training quality and standards.
Thatcham - Platinum Award (Training Provider)
Thatcham are committed to raising skill levels within the industry. They have provided their resources, facilities and trainers to run both the Skillauto competitions and the Estimator of the Year award. They have also given support to the IMI for ATA across the body repair disciplines and have participated in Expert Working Groups and the National Occupational Standards consultations.
CareersINFO - Supporting Industry Award
This award recognises the contribution given by an organisation which works across a number of sectors including the automotive sector.
CareersINFO have given huge support to the IMI in terms of free time and the use of their facilities. They have been instrumental in providing innovative and creative media solutions to help the IMI promote the automotive sector as a dynamic and exciting career choice. Their films on the online careers website Autocity continue to help the IMI demonstrate the many varied and diverse role that exist within the industry.
The final two awards of the evening were presented to two individuals who have made valuable contributions to the Skillmiles scheme. Marc Matthew, Chairman of Lifestyle Europe won the Trailblazer Award and Jean-Marc Rommes the Special Recognition Award.
Marc Matthew set the standard with his early enthusiasm for the scheme. The IMI were able to use his contributions to Skillmiles as examples to others of how they could contribute and earn points. His involvement was invaluable in getting the scheme off the ground and to its current success.
Jean-Marc Rommes devised the Skillmiles scheme and set out the parameters of its administration. He devoted much of his free time to both the inception and development of Skillmiles and helped create an entirely new approach for any Sector Skills Council to recognise all contributions towards furthering the skills agenda.