After a successful year for Exeter College's new MOT offer, where the Automotive Faculty welcomed 40 new Level 2 Award in MOT Testing Class 4 and 7 and Level 3 Award in MOT Test Centre Management students, we have now received our first cohort for 2017.

The MOT training process which had previously been conducted by the DVSA moved over to independent training providers from September 2016, as a result the way in which accreditation was achieved also changed. The new process involves theory sessions and 8 hours of practical training followed by one online assessment and one practical assessment. This can be daunting to many potential candidates who have not experienced training for some time, however with the support and blended learning that is offered at Exeter College our first cohort of 2017 all passed, with high grades on the online assessment and outstanding demonstrations of competence and ability during the practical test.

What was particularly pleasing for the faculty was the return of three full time and apprenticeship students who had studied in the faculty some five to ten years previously. Matthew Sparks who had last attended the college in 2007 spent time catching up with his previous tutors and lecturers whilst admiring the new state of the art facilities available to new apprentices and full time students alike.

The popularity of the new courses are having a far reaching effect with one candidate travelling from Gloucester to attend. Peter Bird was so impressed by what fellow technicians from other garages had said about the course, he decided to try it for himself.

I was told about the quality of the training from other technicians in Gloucester who had attended in November, but what is also great is how competitive the price is. I have booked a hotel locally, stayed for four nights and still saved money compared to what is on offer elsewhere.”

Darren Smyth, one of three course lecturers and the driving force behind the new provision wholeheartedly agreed:

We have priced the course to be accessible without cutting on quality. This is our aim to ensure that anyone who would like to train to be either an MOT tester or Manager can do so without breaking the bank.”

With courses running twice monthly for the Level 2 Award in MOT testing there is no waiting time to book on and with the current price of £520 (soon to rise in March to £675) why go anywhere else? With continuous professional development (CPD) courses running every three weeks, Darren believes that the training has every base covered:

We are now servicing entire MOT teams within garages. With the access to qualified and vocationally competent staff we can train up to 60 candidates during our twilight sessions running from 6pm to 9pm. During February and March we are going to be offering access to CPD during the days too from 9am to 1pm and from 1pm to 5pm as there is a backlog on testers completing the requirements before the March deadline.”

If you are interested in finding out more about the Level 2 award in MOT Testing, the Level 3 award in MOT Test Centre Management or CPD please contact the team by either phone 01392 400380 or email at TrainingEAA@exe-coll.ac.uk. We will be happy to talk through the booking process or pass you onto the MOT training team for advice and guidance.

Don’t forget… CPD for 2017 is due to expire in March, failure to complete the 3 hours of updating could lead to the freezing of access to test. Contact the team for information and to ensure you stay live.