Autotech Training has appointed Dasos Michaelides as head of business development for Ireland as the company expands its presence in the territory.
In his new role, Michaelides will initially head up the roll-out of training courses for electric/hybrid vehicles across Northern Ireland along along with IMI accredited Air-Conditioning courses, REACT and the NTDA’s Responsible Tyre Repair Technician (RTRT) accreditation.
Delivering training on the premises of garages and organisations across the country is expected to reduce the time away from business for delegates, while cutting the cost of travel and expenses.
During a 40-year career, Michaelides has worked across multiple automotive organisations, based in Ireland. From manufacturing to retail through to dealerships and HGV fleets, he has created and implemented training, marketing, and business strategies.
Michaelides also holds the title of the NTDA’s Chairman of Northern Ireland and, last year, was awarded an Honorary Life Membership by the NTDA
He said: “Throughout my career I have been dedicated to helping automotive businesses stay at the forefront of change and innovation. As the electric vehicle revolution has continued, I have been working with clients to future-proof their businesses and there are many parallels between my experience and what Autotech Training offers.
“Autotech Training is committed to up-skilling the sector’s workforce and continually pushes the message that training and retaining the automotive workforce of today is vital for its continued success. Joining them feels like a natural step for me, and I am delighted that I will be bringing their fantastic offering to Northern Ireland.”
The training company, created by parent company Autotech Group in 2016, has achieved considerable growth over the last few years across the rest of the UK. With an increase in demand for Autotech Training’s courses, and in particular the company’s ability to roll out its course offering to any garage or business across the UK, the decision was made to create a new role specifically targeting the Northern Ireland market.
Autotech Training offers IMI accredited Levels 1-4 electric/hybrid vehicle courses.
An acceleration in the number of vehicle technicians training to become EV-ready pushed back an expected shortfall in qualified aftersales staff from 2026 to 2028, the Institute of the Motor Industry (IMI) said last year.
The industry body had previously warned that a skills gap would materialise in 2026, when the number of required electric vehicle (EV) technicians in the automotive aftersales sector would exceed the current forecasted number of those trained.
But the first three months of 2022 delivered the highest quarterly increase of EV qualified technicians on record – with increased demand in Q2 – it now appears that progress is being made to address the issue.
Difficulties in recruiting qualified and experienced technicians remains challenging for dealerships nationwide, however, said Fraser Brown, managing director of automotive consultancy MotorVise.
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- Source: https://www.am-online.com/news/people-news/2023/03/06/autotech-recruits-new-training-manager-to-support-northern-ireland-expansion
