The inaugural cohort of Kwik Fit Master Tyre Technicians have successfully graduated from the company’s new programme. The accreditation has been developed by the UK’s leading tyre retailer in conjunction with the Institute of the Motor Industry (IMI). It is designed to build on technicians’ all-round skills with more in-depth, specialist tyre knowledge, greater understanding of vehicle dynamics and appreciation of customer satisfaction requirements.
The programme will provide technicians with new career development opportunities and enable them to take on greater responsibility within a Kwik Fit centre. This will give the individuals a grounding for progression into broader managerial roles, or to follow a technical skills route and become senior tyre specialists.
The six-month programme incorporates technical areas including advanced tyre inspection, TPMS replacement and programming, four-wheel alignment and ADAS calibration. In addition, the technicians are assessed on their ability to communicate with customers and provide tailored advice on tyre care and replacement.
The programme has gained external accreditation through the IMI and has been developed in conjunction with Kwik Fit tyre partners Bridgestone, Giti and Pirelli. The nine technicians on the first intake celebrated completing their advanced training with a graduation ceremony at Pirelli’s Carlisle factory, where they also experienced an in-depth demonstration of the tyre manufacturing process.
Alan Stone, head of skills development at Kwik Fit, said: “This is a significant development both in our tyre training and our career ladders within the business. The master tyre technicians will take on responsibility for the tyre bays in their centre and play key roles in training new technicians and apprentices. Their specialist knowledge will be invaluable across the network as we face an increasingly complex tyre market. Congratulations to our first cohort of Master Tyre Technicians, and we look forward to welcoming new colleagues on to the programme as we go through the year.”
