After a knowledge exam, six practical tasks the top six Refinishing apprentices are heading to the IMI Skills Competitions finals in November to find out who will be crowned winner and the best in the sector. Meet the stars of the automotive sector who are vying for the ultimate prize…
Keep an eye on the IMI website and social streams to find out how the IMI Skills Competitions Finals unfold in November and for your chance to appear in the 2025 lineup, sign up for updates https://tide.theimi.org.uk/industry-latest/events/imi-skills-competitions
Name – Victoria Steele
Employer- Sinclair’s Bodyshop
Skill – Refinishing
Competition experience so far:
As a returning silver medalist from 2023, Victoria is hoping to take one step higher on the podium this time around. “The competition this time around has been good, the added confidence definitely helped this time around. The venue was great.”
Career journey so far:
Victoria’s journey in automotive wasn’t initially as smooth as she’d have hoped, however making the switch from mechanics to accident repair was a huge step in the right direction for her. Later, finding a workplace that supported her professional development gave her the platform to unleash her full potential. Having taken part in the Welsh skills competition, and last year’s skills competition she added “I like challenging myself to showcase my skills against other competitors, so I test my abilities against other great painters and push myself further each time”
Future aspirations:
Victoria’s immediate goal is to win Gold, and as for her career goals “I just want to keep getting better at what I do and aim to be the best painter out there”.
Employer and manager comments:
Manager Daniel Ahern said “As a manager, it’s great to see Victoria doing well in competitions, we can definitely see the boost in confidence it’s given her over the last couple of years, and it’s good for us as a business to be able to show our young talent progressing
Advice for new apprentices:
Victoria’s advice for new apprentices or competitors “Whatever stress you may feel, just remember that everyone else is in the same situation and is feeling it just as much as you, so don’t worry so much about it affecting your performance just do the best you can and don’t dwell on any mistakes”
Name – Ben Robertson
Employer- G&H Auto repairs
Skill – Refinishing
Name – Ben Williams
Employer- Aston Martin Lagonda
Skill – Refinishing
Competition experience so far:
Ben entered the 2024 national competition having won Gold in the Welsh competition, so brought that experience and confidence into this year’s qualifiers “Definitely coming back this time I felt more confident, the venue was great and really allowed me to produce my best work, knowing where I went wrong before. It was still a challenge dealing with the pressure and making sure to take enough time on the prep stage of tasks.
Career journey so far:
Ben started his Automotive training at Cardiff and Vale College and did his apprenticeship at Manor Garage. From starting out in a makeshift paint shop to recently starting a new role at Aston Martin since we last saw him at the national qualifiers, his rapid progress has clearly been recognised. Ben had studied sports science, and considered a career in physiotherapy, but once he discovered refinishing and body repair he has never looked back.
Future aspirations:
Ben is enjoying his new job and said, “I’m looking forward to learning here because they use completely different equipment and materials than I’m used to. I’d also like to move up both in technical roles and potentially in the office to management one day.
Employer and manager comments:
Having recently started a new venture Ben cited his performance in the skills competition as an achievement his new employers were impressed by.
Advice for new apprentices:
Ben emphasised the need for taking a big-picture view “You’ve got to be patient and be prepared to build your skills doing little jobs that build up to the big fun jobs. You can’t do them justice without putting in the groundwork.”
Name – Kyle Davin
Employer- Love Your Car (Cardiff)
Skill – Refinishing
Competition experience so far:
Kyle says about his experience so far “Yeah I’ve enjoyed it, traveling to the venue which was great, meeting the other apprentices, hearing and seeing what they can do has been good. The tasks were mixed, I think the inspection was tough, only because it’s not something we would do every day.
Career journey so far:
” I wasn’t the best behaved at school, if I’m honest, but at the end of it, I was offered a junior apprentice course in mechanics at college. It wasn’t for me though and I wanted to try something else, somebody recommended the paint side of things. After a year of college, I applied here at love your car and my boss Martin spoke to my tutor and must’ve liked what he heard and gave me a chance”
Future aspirations:
Kyle wants to continue honing his skills in refinishing but added “Maybe I’d like to have my own apprentice someday, help them to get skills and a career that would be good
Employer and manager comments:
As soon as we met Kyle, he seemed keen and really wanted to get involved in whatever we showed him, which we always make sure our apprentices do. It’s great for us, especially as a smaller business, advertising wise, it shows that we invest in young talent
Advice for new apprentices:
Advice I’d give is probably, don’t stress or worry about mistakes, anything plastic or metal can usually be put right, just keep trying to get it right next time.
Name – Teagan Whiteman
Employer- FixAuto Newport
Skill – Refinishing
Competition experience so far:
The Competition itself has been really good, I’ve really enjoyed it and the qualifier wasn’t as tough as I first thought, honestly I feel like the online test was the most challenging part. The practical process was very straightforward on the day moving from one station to another. Testing your skills in a competitive environment with time limits also helps you back at work, especially when it comes to earning bonuses!
Career journey so far:
“I started here straight out of school, I’ve always wanted to do something fixing or doing things up, I thought about doing interior design. At school I studied graphics, one of my projects was to design the graphics on a race car, I guess that’s where the idea came from. I’m the first one in my family to join the Automotive sector, I’d never considered a career until I found out a bit about it and it sounded good, so I gave it a try, and glad I did.
Future aspirations:
Longer term, I’ve always liked the idea of working abroad one day, other than that maybe one day I’d like to open my own body shop. Short term, I’m going to complete my apprenticeship and keep getting better as a painter and hopefully learn new skills like airbrushing and custom work
Employer and manager comments:
We’re extremely proud of Teagan, having been here from her day one, it’s been great to see her grow from someone just starting out to now someone solving problems that sometimes others cant fix. That being said she’s not afraid of asking for help. We Like to highlight Teagan as an example, especially for our other apprentices. It’s so easy to keep her motivated, as she has a real passion for the job and achieving excellent results
Name – Lewis Patterson
Employer- Agnew Preparation Centre
Skill – Refinishing
Competition experience so far:
The experience has been good, meeting new people while getting to do what I do most days at work. Having had some experience from competing in the Northern Ireland competition, it was quite a familiar setup, so I felt confident coming into it. I suppose out of the tasks the colour matching was hardest, just because it’s a different environment with different lighting than you’re used to. The plastic repair and paint task were my highlights on the day
Career journey so far:
Out of school I really had no idea what I wanted to do. I knew a bit about automotive refinishing as my Grandfather was a painter back in the day, my dad did work on his own cars and stuff, so I guess I’m following in their footsteps a bit. I am glad to be doing my training at Riverpark which has been great so far, especially as they have had so much success in the competitions in the past.
Future aspirations:
I want to learn whatever new comes out, how to use new paint lines or clear coats or equipment, anything like that really, so long as it helps me at work and makes me a better painter.
Employer and manager comments:
Workshop controller at APC Adrian remarked “His confidence is sky high since the competition, and overall, never had any issues with Lewis. He’s got the right work ethic, if I ask him to do a job, he just gets on with it, and at the same time if there is a problem he will ask the question, although he already has a lot of knowledge considering he’s a first-year painter.”
Advice for new apprentices:
“Really the best advice I can give is to walk before you can run, take it step by step and don’t overthink things. You’ve got to master the basics to get the best results further down the line.”