Top-level vehicle technician qualification

Wednesday, 18 October 2006

MIT teams with MITO to offer top-level vehicle technician qualification

Motor industry employees are now able to study towards a new advanced-level qualification, thanks to the joint initiative between Manukau Institute of Technology and the Motor Industry Training Organisation (MITO).

The distance learning area of MIT’s Vehicle Technology division will be administering and coordinating a training package for MITO, called ATech (Advanced Technician Level 5), in a move to boost the level of training for those in the automotive industry.

“MITO describes this as an elite new programme which is a significant industry development,” according to head of Vehicle Technology division, Alan Winchester.

“This also serves to further strengthen our partnership with MITO, as it reflects the fact that MIT is up with the play on new and emerging trends within industry and that we respond effectively to new demands.

“ATech provides tremendous opportunities for those in the sector wanting to upskill and train through a flexible programme of a high quality.”

Launched by Prime Minister Helen Clark in Auckland last week, ATech has been designed to meet the demands of an increasingly sophisticated industry.

Addressing more than 200 guests, Ms Clark welcomed the initiative as an example of an effective partnership between the automotive industry and the education sector.

“Through ATech we can see very clear pathways for skilled motor industry technicians to move with confidence right along the skills spectrum,” she said.

“I want to give full credit to the Motor Industry Training Organisation [MITO] and the automotive industry that it serves, for redesigning a qualification at this level to keep right up with the modern demands of this industry.”

ATech will be the leading work-based training programme for employees who have completed a national certificate in a motor industry-based discipline.

Available with specialisations in “automotive electrical and mechanical” and “collision repair”, it will provide graduates with a National Certificate in Motor Industry (Advanced Technical) Level 5.

ATech aims to provide students with high level-diagnostic skills, an excellent knowledge of new and emerging technologies in the automotive industry and the ability to guide a technical team. Skills taught will range from adapting to new technologies to servicing and repairing complex systems, undertaking failure analysis, understanding hybrid vehicle technology, diagnosing faults with multiplex circuits and interpreting body and paint specifications using computers and digital imaging. The course will also include training in people and business management.

“The new ATech qualification is a significant development for our industry,” says MITO chairperson, Peter Hancock. “It reflects MITO’s commitment to providing world-class training and to adding value to both the tertiary education system as a whole and the industry sectors we serve.

“At a time when the industry is experiencing rapid change, increasing technological sophistication and a shortage of skilled technicians, it’s an unprecedented achievement that I’m sure will be welcomed by students and employers alike.”

The Prime Minister noted that graduates of the government-sponsored Modern Apprenticeship scheme can study for the ATech. She congratulated the motor industry on having over 1000 modern apprentices in 2006, making it the third largest of all industries participating in the scheme.

ENDS

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