ATA

The Automotive Technician Accreditation (ATA) scheme is a means of identifying technicians who have proven their current competence and signed up to a professional code of conduct.

As well as showing employers that your skills are up-to-date and you are a committed professional, ATA is also a way of demonstrating to the public that the motor industry is improving standards.

ATA is governed by the Institute of the Motor Industry and there are over 14,000 automotive technicians in the UK who have achieved accreditation in many different areas of expertise, all of which last for five years. The scheme is voluntary and it has the backing and participation of all major vehicle manufacturers, independent service and repair and breakdown organisations, as well as Thatcham.

ATA for automotive glazing was launched in 2008 and IWA was the first independent centre to be approved by the IMI to assess technicians working in the independent automotive glazing market.

To achieve accreditation, technicians must pass a series of practical assessments and an online knowledge test. The process takes one day at IWA and successful candidates are issued with a photo identity card by the IMI, which provides logos, posters and leaflets to help publicise a business’s involvement.

For automotive glazing technicians, there are three ATA levels of competency to choose from, in ascending order:

• Accredited Automotive Glazing Technician Grade 2
• Accredited Automotive Glazing Technician Grade 1
• Accredited Master Automotive Glazing Technician

For automotive glazing bodyshop technicians there is one competency level:

Accredited Automotive Glazing Bodyshop Technician

Technician pre-requisites

Before taking an ATA assessment, an automotive glazing technician must have a minimum level of industry experience in an appropriate role as follows:

or
they must hold a relevant national qualification at the same level e.g. NVQ in Automotive Glazing, plus a year’s experience.

Candidates can choose whichever level they want provided that they have the right amount of experience.

Cost

Fees for the one-day ATA assessment at IWA are as follows:

Accredited Automotive Glazing Technician (any level)  £650 plus VAT

Accredited Automotive Glazing Bodyshop Technician    £450 plus VAT

Fees are payable in advance of your assessment. They include: registration, administration and assessor time; cost of materials and hire of vehicle for the practical assessment. Please note that fees are non-refundable if you are unsuccessful. Fees are exclusive of travel and accommodation.

For successful candidates, a one-off fee of £50 (no VAT) goes to the IMI, which covers the cost of the scheme’s administration and issue of the photo-identity card, valid for 5 years. This is included in our price for assessment, so there’s no additional cost to the candidate.

I’m interested. How do I become accredited?

The best thing to do is give us a call so we can give you some further detail and find out more about your experience and offer you some dates for assessment. You can also learn more about the scheme on the ATA website, www.automotivetechnician.org.uk

There are a couple of short forms that you need to complete and send to us with your payment.

Click on the documents below to download them:

• Pre-assessment questionnaire
• What happens on the day
• ATA application form
• IMI candidate registration form