IMI Awards Give ATA Stamp of Approval in Cyprus
IMI Awards are proud to announce they have given KEKMA Training Limassol Limited the stamp of approval to offer ATA (Automotive Technician Accreditation) assessments. KEKMA opened a purpose built satellite facility in Nicosia, Cyprus where they can now offer ATA Air Conditioning Refrigerant Handler, making KEKMA the first ATA approved centre in Europe outside the UK and Ireland.
KEKMA has been associated with the IMI group since 2003 when they gained approval to offer the 600 series of qualifications at their main training facility in Limassol. Since that time, KEKMA have obtained approval to offer IMI Awards VRQ Technical Diploma and QAA (Quality Assured Awards), which are designed to recognize training programmes outside the National Qualifications Framework.
Gaining this latest IMI Awards approval allows KEKMA to offer the ATA Air Conditioning route to automotive technicians in the region. As there is now less than 18 months left before the European F-gas Regulation EC842-2006 and annex EC307/2008 is enforced, whereby all Mobile Air Conditioning (MAC) technicians working with cars and car derived vans must have as a minimum requirement a refrigerant handling qualification, this new approval provides a very timely addition.
Ten technicians have already been assessed and successfully passed the ATA Air Conditioning Refrigerant Handler route. The local technicians were presented with their ATA photo ID cards by Alan Mackrill, Executive Director IMI Awards, at a special ceremony to celebrate the approval and the opening of the purpose built facility in Nicosia.
Steve Longworth – Chief Verifier at IM Awards said, “We are very proud to be associated with such a highly professional group of people, particularly Andreas Antoniadis, Simos Kokkinis, Meletis Meletiou and the committee of KEKMA, for their enthusiasm and drive to raise standards of the automotive industry in Cyprus.”