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 industry who are vying for the ultimate prize…
Victoria Steele, NPTC Pontardawe – Sinclair
“The competition has been amazing and I’m looking forward to getting my name out there.”
With the clear goal of becoming the best Paint technician in the UK, Victoria Steele of Sinclair Group accident repair Swansea is determined to showcase her talents in this years IMI skills competition final for refinishing, and as the top scoring qualifier this year she certainly proved she can perform under pressure. Although she didn’t have the smoothest start to her career in Automotive, her drive and ambition looks set to see her excel in her chosen field. “I left school and at first studied to be a mechanic at college. After a while I saw a bit about the paint course and wanted to try that, so I switched over and when I started at my first workshop as an apprentice it didn’t work out so well, but after hearing about the opportunity at Sinclair’s I found a place where I was able to learn and improve while at the same time get support if needed” According to Victoria’s manager Dan, a challenge Victoria faces can be the level of pressure she puts on herself to be the very best, and sometimes she just needed someone to give her a bit of perspective, and to accept there will be mistakes in the learning process. He said “As the first Female paint technician we’ve had in the company, Victoria brings a new dynamic to the shop floor and some well needed diversity that shows how things are moving for the better in the industry.
According to Victoria the best thing about her job is “the sense of achievement with the finished product, seeing a vehicle come into the workshop and go through the repair stages, then being able to paint it to complete the process” and on the competition process itself “ Taking part in the competition so far has been intense, in a good way, and exciting doing new things, seeing that when I put my mind to something I can do it, and I’ve enjoyed it so far” Victoria’s advice for any women or apprentices interested in joining the sector is “Just don’t overthink it, if you think you’ll enjoy the role the go for it. when you are learning treat it like a normal day and take each day as it comes”.
Declan James Phillips, GTA Doncaster – BCA Fleet Solutions Doncaster
“It’s been a good experience and I’m looking forward to meeting new people and having a chance to experience what nearly no one in my sector will ever get to do.”
Declan is one half of a duo representing BCA Doncaster in this years skills competition Refinishing final. Declan decided early on that a desk job was not for him, preferring instead to follow a career path that allowed him to be mobile, and above all linked to his passion for Automotive “ I couldn’t be sat down at a desk for 8 hours a day, I thought about what I really loved and cars were what came to mind. I met with GTA training who helped me find the opportunity at BCA, and I’ve never looked back”.
Declan thrives on seeing the results of the work process and being able to put his name to a quality repair, especially when he sees a car he’s repaired out on the road. When reflecting on the competition so far Declan said “ I’ve enjoyed it a lot, I mean on the night before the qualifier competition my nerves were shot, but as soon as we’d got started and got into the swing of it I just got on with it. Really tested my skills, especially the bumper repair task that was a good one and a challenge”. John Brown, General manager at BCA Doncaster says about Declan “ He is one of the first apprentices through since we decided to really plan, invest in and focus on developing young talent, and his success in the competition is proof of the value any business can gain back from doing that, gaining a highly skilled and motivated worker, all you need to do is allow them the space to grow and learn from making mistakes, I always say to apprentices you are not here for today, you are here for tomorrow”. John Pearson, Declan’s trainer from GTA said “apprentices from BCA are always of a high Caliber, but ill remember Declan in particular as throughout his training he’s applied himself, always keen to learn and never any issues along the way”
Oisin Mckerr, Southern Regional Collage – Porters Bodyshop
“The competition has been great so far and I’m looking forward to winning!”
Thomas Fearnhead, Training 2000 – Auto Spray Darwen
“I’ve found it really good and I can’t wait to complete.”
Thomas currently works a at Auto-Spray body repairs in Darwen Lancashire and trained at training 2000. Thomas enters this years World skills UK final refinishing competition hoping to gain as much experience and as many new skills as possible “Its been a really good learning experience, meeting all the other competitors and doing tasks that are a bit different to the practical jobs, like the colour matching and PPE inspection task which was interesting and really important when you think about it”. Tom came into Automotive after working in a fast food chain for a time, however he soon realised he wanted to build a lasting career, and when thinking back to spending time with his grandad who regularly had projects on the go doing up cars, Automotive and in particular refinishing seemed like a natural choice. Toms Mentor Anthony Temperton says of Tom “ He, turns up everyday with the right attitude, gets stuck in, and doesn’t get overwhelmed by challenges, some of the techniques he uses and jobs he does some technicians don’t get to do until they’ve been in the job for years”.
Speaking of challenges Tom said “When I first started, everything was a learning curve, I had to push myself you know, going home and watching Youtube videos on how to do stuff then practicing it at work the next day” Ultimately Tom aims to earn himself a gold medal at the finals in November for himself but also for the business, but beyond that “I want to show my Boss and mentor that their lessons and investment in me have worked out and get results of being one of the best” and its fair to say that Tom has already achieved tat least part of his aim by making it to the final itself. As for advice to future apprentices Tom added “Ask questions, Anthony will tell you I never stop, and from all those questions even the simplest ones you can build the knowledge up and learn from it”.
Lewis Brayford Doncaster, Rotherham and District GTA – BCA Fleet Solutions
“I can’t wait to see how the rest of the competition goes, and what I can learn from doing it.”
Lewis is one of a Paint technician Duo representing BCA Doncaster in this years World skills UK refinishing final, Highlighting the success that can be achieved when a business recognises and invests in a high quality apprentice programme. Lewis has an incredibly strong passion for Automotive and enjoys all aspects of the sector “I love everything abut my job, it was by accident that I ended up in the Bodyshop to be fair, when I was at school for work experience I wanted to work in a garage, but the teacher who organised it signed me up with a body shop instead, luckily I loved it and I decided it was what I wanted to do. I had a brief stint working in IT but quickly realised it wasn’t for me and I knew what I wanted to come back to. But I love cars if I’m not at work working on them, then I’m at home doing mechanical work on cars, bikes you name it” At the national qualifiers At 3M’s training facility in Atherstone after overcoming some pre-competition nerves to display his talents across all 6 tasks Lewis recalls “When I sat in the car on the way home, thinking about it I wanted to do it all over again, it was brilliant, being able to test myself and be a part of it”. On his future ambitions and where he feels the competition could take him Lewis says “ id like to stay at BCA and move up as they’ve given me such a great opportunity and its just a great place to be. I could go one of a million ways, id like to learn a bit more of the panel work side of things as well”
Trainer John Pearson from GTA training says of Lewis “throughout his training his focus and motivation has been exceptional, its been a pleasure to train him and see his skills develop” and Bodyshop manager at BCA Doncaster Phil Douse says “Lewis is one of the first apprentices to come through since we decided to focus on our apprenticeship offering, and along with the training from GTA, now we have a great platform to bring through more apprentices who will look at what Lewis has done and taking part in the competition and want to do it themselves”.
Maksim Makutonovic – Wrights
“It’s been interesting so far and I’m looking forward to competing against other painters.”
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 2024 line up, sign up for updates