Vehicle Damage Mechanical, Electrical and Trim (MET) Technician - Advanced Apprenticeship
Apprenticeship Summary
With a more specific remit than a general Accident Repair Technician, a Vehicle Damage Mechanical, Electrical and Trim Technician also works in the vehicle body repair sector of the motor industry and is specifically tasked with the removal and refit mechanical and electrical components before and after body repair work has been carried out. They typically work on repairing vehicles that have been involved in accidents or similar incidents usually as part of a team of specialist repair technicians under the supervision of a senior technician
The aim of this apprencticeship is to upskill an individual with the knowledge, skills and behaviours outlined below so that they are competent to carry out these repairs and able to ensure that the mechanical and electrical components and trim of a repaired collision damaged vehicle at minimum meet the manufacturer's safety and performance standard prior to the damage being sustained.
Apprenticeship standard dates
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Anytime
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Employer's Premises
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Next steps
As an Employer
If you would like to offer this as an apprenticeship vacancy within your organisation, enrol one of your existing employees on this apprenticeship or simply find out more about supporting an apprenticeship within your organisation, please complete the Enquire Now form above and a member of our Business Development Team will be in touch within 2 working days to advise you on next steps.
As an Apprentice
If you are interested in securing an apprenticeship as a Vehicle Damage MET Technician, please visit our Vacancies page to check for any suitable roles.
If there are currently no roles available, please submit an enquiry form using the Enquire Now button above to register your interest. We will use this information to let you know when a suitable vacancy becomes available and also to advise you of any courses we offer that might advance your career goals in the meantime.
Key information
Entry Requirements
Please note: Where wearing PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) is a mandatory requirement of the course, it is the responsibility of the learner to ensure that they are able to wear such equipment. Further information can be obtained at the IAG session which all applicants are invited to or by calling Course Enquiries on 01253 504343.
How will the Apprenticeship be funded?
As the employer
How your apprenticeship is funded will depend on whether or not you pay the Apprenticeship Levy. If you do pay the Levy, your apprenticeship will be funded out of this, provided you have sufficient monies available. If you do not pay the Apprenticeship Levy, 95% of the apprenticeship will be funded by the Government, with the remaining 5% being funded by you. There may also be some further incentives offered by the Government which we will be able to advise you of when setting up your apprenticeship. Either way, B&FC's Business Development Team will be on hand to help you navigate the funding arrangements and support you through this process.
As the apprentice
One of the benefits of an apprenticeship is that, as the apprentice, you are not required to fund your training. You will also receive a wage for the work that you do with minimum hourly rates set by the Government. Your employer can choose to pay you more than the minimum wage, but they cannot pay you less. For details of current minimum wage rates for apprentices, please visit the Government website.
What will my Apprentice learn?
Knowledge
By the end of their apprenticeship, your apprentice should have knowledge of:
- Engine, gearbox, suspension, mechanical and electrical systems including safety related autonomous items.
- Body Mechanical Repair tools, equipment and devices used in the process, e.g. vehicle diagnostics equipment, wheel alignment, advanced driver assistance calibration tooling.
- Vehicle diagnostics and interpretation of technical data.
- The safe handling and management of Safety Restraint Systems Pyrotechnics, High Voltage components and other areas of significant risk.
- Repair and safe handling of all vehicle fuel types including combustion, hybrid and other high voltage, compressed natural gas.
- Vehicle hardware and software and digital communication e.g. telematics capability, recall legislation compliance etc..
- The principles of customer service within the motor industry.
- Health & Safety and compliance requirements of the bodyshop industry
- Quality control process and the implications of poor quality repairs, including the commercial impact on the business.
Skills
Your apprentice should be able to:
- Undertake appropriate job preparation prior to commencing repair, e.g. disarming airbags, undertaking electrical safety precautions and conducting pre-repair diagnostics sweeps.
- Interpret relevant technical data, specification and methods will enable appropriate pre-preparation prior to work being carried out.
- Remove, repair and replace Engine, gearbox, suspension, mechanical and electrical systems, related autonomous items from the vehicle safely, e.g. Anti-lock Braking System units, safety restraint systems, Radio Detection and Ranging (RADAR) & Light Detection And Ranging (LIDAR) semi-autonomous components.
- Diagnose and fix faults within a vehicle management system (on board computer) & associated electrical system.
- Identify and request supplementary parts where required.
- Identify and operate the correct repair tools, equipment and devices used in the process such as Geometry Wheel Aligners for alignment of the wheels, diagnostic hardware to establish any faults with the vehicle and establish if parts are replaced or re calibrated, utilising torque wrenches to tighten nuts/bolts to the manufacturer recommendations.
- Rebuild vehicles post repair and reinstate safety critical systems including Safety Restraint Systems, airbags, seat belts and pretensions, Advanced Driver Assistance Systems, cameras, Radio Detection and Ranging (RADAR) systems and Light Detection And Ranging (LIDAR) systems including collision avoidance technology.
Behaviours
Your apprentice should be able to:
- Use all the knowledge and skills developed to carry out tasks in a safe and efficient manner, complying with all business operating procedures and policies.
- Operate as an effective team member and take responsibility, be honest and accountable when things go wrong, tracking their own progress and informing others if deadlines are at risk.
- Proactively find opportunities to learn about the wider business.
- Demonstrate a commitment to customer service and meeting deadlines by being flexible with their time and show willingness to take on tasks outside of their job role to ensure goals are met.
- Take responsibility for personal and professional development, keeping knowledge and skills up to date with emerging technology to perform the role effectively.
- Anticipate problems and put steps in place to avoid them, where problems do occur explore and address the cause.
- Effectively communicate with customers and colleagues.
Expert Tutors
All tutors involved in the delivery of courses and apprenticeships within the College are approved to teach the subjects and modules they deliver.
Our recruitment process ensures that tutors delivering a given programme are suitably qualified and, where appropriate, possess relevant technical and industrial experience and a familiarity with professional practice. This is especially important for apprenticeships where off-the-job training needs to align with apprentices' on-the-job experience.
How will the Apprenticeship be delivered?
The apprenticeship will typically be delivered over a 24-month period with additional time required to prepare for the End Point Assessment. Apprentices' time will typically be split 80:20 throughout the apprenticeship programme with four days a week spent at the employer premises learning on the job and one day a week spent off-site, undertaking classroom-based and workshop-based training at B&FC.
What support will I get from B&FC?
As the employer
Each employer is supported by an experienced member of our Business Development Team to set up their apprenticeship. For those employers who are completely new to the apprenticeship process, the Team will support them with all the necessary paperwork and administration to get their apprenticeship programme up and running as quickly and efficiently as possible. For existing employers, their dedicated Client Services Manager will be an ongoing point of contact for all their apprenticeship queries, however big or small.
We can also help employers who are looking to recruit new apprentices by advertising their vacancy, finding suitable applicants and supporting them with the interview and selection process. Once an apprentice is onboard, our Curriculum Tutors and Apprenticeship Trainers and Skills Coaches also step in to support the employer-apprentice relationship and ensure the apprentice is on track to succeed.
As the apprentice
In the first instance, we aim to give potential apprentices all the support they need to find a suitable apprenticeship. That can mean working with them prior to an application to improve their CV, hone their interview skills and advise them of any additional training that may help them secure an apprenticeship vacancy.
Once they start their apprenticeship, we continue to support them with their off-site training and with regular meetings with our Apprenticeship Trainers and Skills Coaches to ensure they are progressing and acquiring all the knowledge, skills and behaviours that will ensure they complete their apprenticeship successfully.
How will the Apprenticeship be assessed?
What is an end-point assessment and why it happens
An EPA is an assessment at the end of the apprenticeship. The EPA is the apprentice's opportunity to show an independent assessor how well they can carry out the occupation they have been trained for. Apprentices need to have achieved an F-gas certificate that meets the EU's F-gas regulation and completed a logbook of their training during the last eight months of their apprenticeship which showcases all the work they have carried out prior to their EPA.
The overall grades available for this apprenticeship are:
- fail
- pass
- distinction
When the apprentice passes the EPA, they will be awarded their apprenticeship certificate.
Assessment methods
The EPA comprises three distinct components:
Professional discussion
The apprentice will have an interview with an independent assessor. During this interview, the assessor will ask the apprentice at least six questions, which cover different aspects of their role with the aim of assessing whether the apprentice has satisfactorily acquired all the knowledge, skills and behaviours set out in the occupational standard. The logbook the apprentice has compiled will enable them to answer these questions effectively.
Online knowledge test
This will test the apprentice's understanding of key aspects of their role and the knowledge require to carry out their daily tasks safely and to the highest industry standards.
Skills test
The apprentice will be required to carry out a number of practice tasks that will enable the apprentice to demonstrate their skills in particular aspects of vehicle service and maintenance process so that the assessor can assess their competency.