Skills showcase 05 August 2013

With the third annual IRTE Skills Challenge proving another success, plans are already underway for next year's event, reports John Challen

The great and the good of the UK bus technician community have once again fought for recognition at IRTE's Skills Challenge, and the winners can now be revealed (see panel). And with 16 teams fielded by seven operators – Arriva, FirstGroup, Go-Ahead London, Go South Coast, London Borough of Redbridge, Translink and Reading Buses – and 48 technicians taking part, competition was hot.

As in previous years, teams comprised electrical, mechanical and bodywork technicians, all pitting their wits against the rest in a series of tests specific to bus maintenance and repair – ranging from solving transmission and EBS faults, to tyre examination, panel fabrication and structural bonding. For the practical assessments, competitors worked on two buses – a MAN CitySmart 14:250 and a Scania Omni-link – as well as a Volvo 9700 coach.

Skills Challenge 2013 was conducted at S&B Automotive Academy, and Richard Belton, the company's deputy chief executive, believes it was a positive experience for all the technicians. "[They] were very keen to promote the professionalism of the industry," he comments. "Everyone who came was a credit to their employer."

Belton was particularly impressed with the 12 apprentice technicians. "They shone and some of their results were on a par with a lot of the established technicians," he reveals. "This is obviously great for them, but even more so for the industry – to have technicians of this quality ready for the future."

Tests were refreshed from the previous year's competition, partly due to new sponsors, who brought new ideas. Volvo Bus asked participants to look at electrical problems on its 9700 coach, for example, while Shell concentrated on lubricants problems.

"This year we had very competitive teams, and it was a fairly level playing field in terms of the quality of technicians," reveals Ian Chisholm, head of operations and communications at IRTE, organiser of the event. "The Skills Challenge allows technicians to demonstrate their capabilities, and show what they have learned on the job. They are some of the best in the industry, and even if they don't win, they have participated, which is valuable in itself."

Belton also says it was encouraging to see technicians push themselves in unfamiliar situations. "A lot of the technicians were working under pressure, with people observing everything they did," he comments. "Also, some participants were diagnosing faults on vehicles they don't normally see, such as Volvo's coach. For technicians who only work on buses, that made them understand that their skill sets can work across different vehicles from different manufacturers. I think this will give them more confidence."

With BAE Systems also getting involved – using its part of the programme as a training session – Skills Challenge 2013 also had more of a hybrid element than in past years, and Chisholm says this trend will continue. "While we may have just touched on it this year, with TfL buying 600 hybrid buses – and the Green Bus Fund making it attractive for other fleets to invest in hybrid technology – hybrids are not something we can ignore," he states.

"Euro 6 technology will also be an interesting subject. Next year there may be new issues for bus technicians," he adds.

Details of Skills Challenge 2014 are yet to be confirmed, but look out for details in Transport Engineer.

Skills Challenge 2013: The winners

Top scoring mechanical technician (sponsored by Allison Transmission)
William Scott, Translink

Top scoring electrical technician (sponsored by BAE Systems)
Pete Murphy, FirstGroup

Top scoring bodywork technician (sponsored by Bridgestone)
Joseph Hotchkiss, FirstGroup

Mechanical and electrical award (sponsored by Shell)
Ian Challoner & Dave Neal, Go South Coast

Mechanical, electrical and bodywork combined award (sponsored by Knorr-Bremse)
William Scott, Adam McGrath & Jan Colville, Translink

Top scoring mechanical apprentice
Daniel Bartlett, FirstGroup

Top scoring electrical apprentice
Matthew Fleming, Go-Ahead London

Top scoring bodywork apprentice
James Ward, Arriva UK Bus

The IRTE award for outstanding achievement
Glenn Cooke, Colin Harris & Stephen Hall, Arriva UK Bus

Author
John Challen

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