Fraikin has announced that every single one of its vehicle maintenance technicians from across the company’s eight branches in the UK has completed level two of the irtec Licensing Scheme, the nationally recognised accreditation that assesses technician safety and competence in the road transport industry.
As part of Fraikin’s commitment to ensure it has a highly skilled pool of talent within its branches, all 74 technicians were tested on their theoretical and practical skills as part of the Service Maintenance Technician programme.
Based on the success of the programme, 14 technicians with the highest pass-rates are now working towards their irtec Advanced Technician licence (level three). From this group, a further team will be selected to complete the Master Technician licence (level four), which is the highest irtec accreditation available and will begin in July.
“Having subject-matter experts is key to further enhancing the credibility of our workshops and the Master Technician route is the appropriate benchmark for us to have for this across our engineering network,” said Ant Perfect, learning and development manager at Fraikin. “As new innovations and technologies are introduced, it is essential to have technicians who are as up-to-date in their knowledge as it’s possible to be. Taking part in the irtec programme also highlights our team as being amongst the best qualified in the industry.”
The technicians were assessed on matters of braking, engine mechanical systems, transmissions, suspensions, steering and electronic systems, before culminating in an hour-long theory exam. The licences gained are valid for five years and means Fraikin’s entire team of in-house technicians is listed on the national irtec register and bound by a professional code of conduct.
Irtec assesses the competence and safety of technicians who repair vehicles in the commercial vehicle, trailer and passenger-carrying industries. It was established by the Institute of Road Transport Engineers (IRTE), the professional sector of the Society of Operations Engineers (SOE), after identifying a need for technicians to be able to prove their skills and competence.
