Top Technician 2012

Top Technician is a skills competition created 9 years ago. Its continuing mission is to reward technical excellence within the workshop trade and highlight, to a rather cynical and suspicious motoring public, what a skilled and vital role trained and committed technicians have.

Top 5 reasons technicians give as to why they enter Top Technician:

• To meet other experienced technicians from across the UK and swap tips
• To benefit from discounted tickets to Top Technician Live
• To gain exclusive access to the Top Technician Forum
• To gain publicity for themselves and their business
• Oh, and the prize package is worth over £10,000 (last year it was £17,500!)

The competition, which is open to both independent and franchised dealer technicians, consists of an online test followed by practical assessments for the top 24 candidates. After these regional heats, the best six are selected to compete in the finals at the Honda Institute in Slough, from where the eventual winner and runner -up are chosen.

To make sure the competition's standards are of the highest level, all the questions in Top Technician are compiled by chief judge Ian Gillgrass from the Institute of the Motor Industry.

Ian uses his vast technical and assessment knowledge to devise questions that will probe every area of technicians' skills, from diagnostics and wheel alignment to exhaust gas analysis, electronics and beyond.

Entry Criteria

Entrants should be working technicians within a garage or workshop environment (fixed or mobile within the UK) with at least 3 years' experience in this environment.

Full-time trainers cannot enter Top Technician.

John Tinham is the current champion and was crowned Top Technician 2011 back in April at the Workshop exhibition in Birmingham.

Garage owner John Tinham of JT Motor Engineer in Chelmsford was unveiled as the winner of the annual contest at the Workshop exhibition in the NEC back in April. John has been a regular finalist in the hunt for the UK’s most gifted car mechanic and won the competition back in 2007. He is the first, and last, mechanic to receive the accolade twice and will now join the expert panel of technicians who advise on the best competition in the aftermarket.

"It's fantastic," he told Aftermarket, moments after receiving more than £17,500’s worth of prizes from generous sponsors Autologic, Blue Print, Comma Oil & Chemicals, Delphi, Euro Car Parts, Lemforder and technical partner ATA.

“I didn’t expect to win so I wasn’t really counting my chickens, Tinham said, adding: “My wife Karena and I were looking through Aftermarket to find out what the second place prize was”. Master technician Clive Atthowe, of Clive Atthowe Tuning in Norwich took the runner-up place and also received prizes worth thousands. The prize ceremony was attended by technicians and technical experts and scores of automotive industry figures.

John took top spot after winning through an online test and two practical assessments written by chief examiner Ian Gillgrass of the IMI and his team of expert judges. "All the finalists were absolutely brilliant," he said. "There were 6 really great guys." Fellow judge Rob Lewis, a technical trainer for competition sponsor Delphi, added: "The standard was unbelievable this year and keeps getting higher every time."

Want to Enter?

The Top Technician 2012 online test will go live on September 27th 2011. If you are a working mechanic with at least three year's experience finding diagnostic faults on passenger cars, you can register your interest now at www.toptechnician.co.uk.
If you would like to nominate a colleague or a local workshop for Top Technician 2012 then please fill in brief details here.

Enter this year's competition to recognise and reward the best techs in the UK www.toptechnician.co.uk.

Want to be Involved?

If you're not a technician but would like to know more about the opportunities Top Technician can offer businesses and organisations, simply call Paul or Nicola on 01634 261 262.