Sussex technician claims top spot in the Skillauto competition
Eighteen year old Alex Knight who works for Gatwick Honda in Crawley, West Sussex, has been crowned the Automobile Technology (light vehicle) winner in the national skills competition.
Alex competed against the very best automotive technicians in the final of the Skillauto competition which was held at the BMW Group Academy, near Reading. The six finalists had to demonstrate their diagnostic and repair skills on a variety of vehicles and systems. As champion, Alex collected the trophy and scooped an impressive prize haul including a Snap-on tool box, driving experience vouchers from BMW, and numerous other gifts donated from competition sponsors IMI Awards and Castrol.
Commenting on his achievement, Alex said:
"I'm over the moon to come first over so many other talented technicians. I'd like to congratulate the other five who made it to the final; they worked hard and did really well. I'd also like to thank everyone at Gatwick Honda and the Honda Institute, who have supported me in so many ways with extra training and lots of encouragement."
The scores of the top four competitors were very close and finishing in joint silver medal position were Stuart Prince who works at Lookers Honda in Derby and Phil Roberts from Central Garage in Llanwrst, Wales. Simon Castanha from Sytner Leicester BMW achieved the bronze medal.
Alex is currently working towards an NVQ level 3 in Vehicle Maintainence and Repair at the Honda Institute as part of the Honda Apprenticeship Programme. Along with a number of other Honda Apprentices, Alex took part in the first stage of the competition while attending a training block at the Honda Institute. From there he was identified as one of the top achievers in this initial stage and was invited to attend a regional final hosted by Honda before going onto the UK national finals.
Paul Taylor, Technical Training Manager at the Honda Institute commented:
"We are incredibly proud of both Alex and Stuart on their truly significant achievements. Both have worked incredibly hard to get to the final and Alex's victory is a fitting tribute to his passion and commitment. Skillauto is something that Honda supports wholeheartedly as it fits in perfectly with our values of championing personal development, encouraging competition and promoting the next generation of engineers and technicians."
Melissa Sagir-Amos MIMI, Skills Competition Coordinator at the IMI was delighted with what was achieved at the event: "To be able to recognise and reward the young talent in our industry is something that we should be very proud of. The technicians showed confidence, professionalism and dedication throughout the competition and we wish them a long and successful career within the motor industry. The IMI would also like to thank everyone who helped make this competition possible, Skillauto could not have done this without the efforts and commitment from all of those involved."
The aim of Skillauto is to identify and promote the exceptional talent of those working in the automotive industry and exceptional candidates might then have the opportunity to compete with the best from across the world at the prestigious WorldSkills event being held in London in 2011.
Winners of the body streams of the competition, that were held as part of the Thatcham Triple Focus event will be announced at the Bodyshop magazine awards ceremony in September.
Work is now starting for the 2010/11 competition cycle for Automobile Technology, Autobody Repair and Paint. If you would like to get involved, and to find out more, please contact Melissa at [email protected].