Autocare Technician - Intermediate Apprenticeship
Apprenticeship Summary
Autocare technicians work in the automotive industry, typically in autocare or fast fit centres. Able to work as part of a team and independently, they usually have a broad range of key repair and maintenance skills from tyre and exhaust fitting to routine servicing work. As well as carrying out this range of service and repair activities, they are also responsible for maintaining the workshop, helping to control stock levels and taking receipt of deliveries. They use a range of specialist tools and diagnostic equipment and can be responsible for maintaining, servicing and calibrating these.
Often with customer-facing duties, they need good communication skills and an understanding of customer service principles to ensure they deliver a service that positively contributes to the success of the business.
This apprenticeship offers employers a structured training programme through which to grow their automotive service and repair business. Taking into account all the latest health and safety regulations and guidance and familiarising apprentices with the wide variety of differently powered vehicles now available, the apprenticeship gives apprentices a thorough grounding in the automotive service and repair industry whilst also allowing them to develop an understanding of the individual workplace practices and culture.
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 an Autocare 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
You will undertake an assessment and skills scan to make sure that this qualification is suitable for you. It is preferable to have English and maths GCSE Grade 4/C or above. Individual employers will determine their own.
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 understand:
- Vehicle safety inspections and routine maintenance based on manufacturer's specifications.
- Awareness of health and safety regulations, standards and guidance and the impact of these of the role.
- Tools and equipment uses, maintenance, storage and calibration methods.
- Vehicle service records, owner's manuals and warranties.
- The purpose and functioning of vehicle systems including steering, suspension, braking, emission control, vehicle heating, control and air conditioning, advanced driver assistance (ADAS), fluid and filtration.
- The legislation, repair, replacement and technical information regarding tyres,
- The difference between petrol, diesel, electric, hybrid and hydrogen powered vehicles and how this impacts servicing and repair.
- The principles of customer care.
- Teaming working and effective communication techniques.
Skills
Your apprentice should be able to:
- Comply with health and safety procedures as they related to the automotive industry and to the individual workplace.
- Prepare the working area and the vehicle ready for work and maintain and restore the work area during and after any activity.
- Select and use the correct tools for the various servicing, repair and maintenance work and be able to calibrate/service said tools and equipment as required.
- Remove and replace vehicle tyre and balance wheel assemblies on car, car derived van or light goods vehicle. For example, ultra-low profile, directional, asymmetric, run-flat tyres.
- Inspect, remove, and replace of parts or components in cars, car derived vans, or light goods vehicles for the following: steering systems and suspension systems, braking systems, emission systems, air conditioning systems, battery and charging systems, fluid and filtration systems.
- Record vehicle service maintenance, parts replacement, or repair.
- Provide quotation of cost and order automotive parts, products, and consumables applicable to the vehicle.
- Apply procedures for stock and parts storage: ordering, checking and stock rotation.
- Apply procedures to check and replace fluids, and filtration parts.
Behaviours
Your apprentice should be able to:
- Put health and safety first.
- Consider the impact on the environment when using resources and carrying out work.
- Respond and adapt to changing work demands.
- Seek learning and development opportunities, continual professional development.
- Support an inclusive workplace, for example, being respectful of different views.
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. Their 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 complete 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 two distinct components:
Interview underpinned by a portfolio of evidence
The apprentice will have an interview with an independent assessor. During this interview, the assessor will ask the apprentice at least eight 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 portfolio of evidence the apprentice has compiled will enable them to answer these questions effectively.
Practical assessment with questions
The apprentice will be observed by an independent assessor completing a series of tasks over a six hour period. During the assessment, the assessor will ask at least five questions regarding the working being undertaken.