irtec News

First invests in its people to help increase standards

19th Oct 2011

Having recently become an accredited irtec assessment centre, First, the UK’s largest bus company, has begun testing and then licensing all of its vehicle examiners as part of a process it believes will help further drive up standards of engineering at its depots.

At present, First is the only major bus operator in the UK that is rolling out the irtec licensing scheme to all its vehicle examiners nationally, investing in its workforce and simultaneously taking steps to increase efficiency.

First, an SOE Industry Partner, currently employ some 350 vehicle examiners in the UK, whose job it is to carry out the important 28-day inspections on the company’s 8,000 strong bus fleet. It is considered that while these employees are talented engineers with, in many cases, years of experience, continuous advances in technology mean there is always something new to learn. As such, First has taken all of its existing vehicle examiners through an assessment process utilising the skills of the FTA.

First is now embarking on an intense two week training programme for these employees to ensure they have the skills and knowledge required for the future. Those that pass the training are then being taken through the irtec Inspection Technician licence, with a handful of others also being taken through to the next stage, irtec Advanced Technician licence.

At present, thirteen vehicle examiners from depots in Bristol, Somerset, south Wales, north Devon and east England have achieved irtec Inspection Technician status (the second of four stages), with three others gaining irtec Advanced Technician status (the third stage).

While normally only given to those with at least three years’ experience, or those who have both gained NVQ Level 3 and one year of industry experience, Joe Vorley from north Devon has also managed to gain an Inspection Technician licence – despite having only just finished the third year of his apprenticeship. Vorley has excelled during his apprenticeship, which was delivered in partnership with the City of Bristol College. He continues to work for First and over time is expected to progress even further within the company.

The cost of taking all of its vehicle examiners through the irtec licensing process is being met by First. Graham Belgum, business improvement director, explains the rationale behind the project: “As a company, we strive to be the best we can be, and this scheme is particularly good as it delivers real and tangible benefits for both the company and the individuals concerned. Notably it provides external trade body recognition of a technician’s skills and experience, for which they and their depot can be proud. In addition, through assessment against the standard, it also allows us to identify, and then address, any gaps in an individual's skills and knowledge. By addressing any weaknesses we can then improve our skill base, making sure that we’re operating as efficiently as possible, identifying and addressing the underlying problems with our vehicles that cause persistent breakdowns, and which ultimately cost us money through increased maintenance costs and lost mileage.

“We hope to have taken all our vehicle examiners through this process by April 2012.”

In addition to taking a number of its staff through the irtec licensing process, First is also investing in its workforce by encouraging a number of its top engineers to work towards Chartered Engineer (CEng) status.

For more information about First, or to find out more about working for the company, visit www.firstgroup.com.