MOT Workshop 47 – MOT Training - MOT Test Information

Spotlight On MOT Training

Jim Punter looks closely into training to become an MOT Tester.
This article originally appeared in MOT Testing Magazine. References to VOSA now apply to DVSA.

Training – what training?

Jim Punter, MOT Testing editor (left), and IMI’s Accreditation Manager
Ian Gilgrass discuss MOT Tester training and the IMI’s ATA
accreditation system.

A decade ago I was called by a grieving widow. She’d inherited her husband’s small Testing Station, becoming the AE. There was a qualified mechanic, who became the Tester, and a trainee. Then two VEs arrived, followed by a VOSA ‘contemplated disciplinary action’ letter. Tearfully she asked, “I know nothing about cars, VOSA trained him, why should I be punished?” Good question!

Later, I interviewed VOSA’s Chief, Maurice Newey, and told him the story, and asked the same question. He said, “VOSA do not do training, AEs send us trained candidates to become Testers… we calibrate their skills”.
For this piece, I asked VOSA the same question, they answered:

“…VOSA do not publish an MOT training syllabus. It is currently the responsibility of the Authorised Examiner to determine the training needs of the individuals that they employ.”

And of the VOSA ‘Tester training’ course:

“…MOT Tester training enables the already skilled mechanic to build on experience and develop skills in a specific area relevant to the new job.”

A decade on, nothing’s changed; no Tester training syllabus or programme from VOSA, no guidelines for a ‘skills audit’ on potential Testers – not even a ‘good practice guide’…

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Pre-qualification

Nevertheless, VOSA have worked with the Institute of the Motor Industry (IMI), and historically adopted the IMI’s Automotive Technician Accreditation (ATA) level 3 qualification as an acceptable pre-qualification to attend their misnamed ‘MOT Tester Training course’, as well as other different equivalent qualifications. Yet none have any ‘MOT specific’ content.

An alternative for appropriately experienced, but unqualified motor mechanics wishing to become MOT Testers, is to sit VOSA’s Nominated Tester Training Assessment (NTTA) test. The questions seem very ‘old fashioned’ in our modern digital ‘diagnostic’ world, but do test the ‘vehicle technical’ knowledge of the applicant. Despite VOSA threatening to drop the NTTA test, taking only Tester candidates with formal qualifications, it’s still a valid route for experienced, but unqualified, technicians to become MOT Testers.

More recently, VOSA approached the IMI and jointly developed a specific ATA ‘accreditation route’ relating to ‘light vehicle inspection’ as an alternative to the more broadly based ‘ATA Light vehicle Diagnostic Technician’ – a viable alternative for budding Testers. Yet still not MOT Specific – why not?

The IMI perspective

Puzzled that there’s no prospectus or syllabus for a targeted ‘MOT Tester training’ course available anywhere for a young vehicle technician to become a Tester directly, we discussed it with IMI’s Mr Ian Gillgrass who recently worked with the industry and VOSA to develop the IMI’s ‘ATA Light Vehicle Inspection’ accreditation. He said, “Although our ATA level 3 ‘Diagnostic Technician’ qualification was OK for aspiring MOT Testers, it was not a good fit for what an MOT Tester actually does…” On working with VOSA, he added, “…so we put together an ATA Light Vehicle Inspection route which was better aligned to what a Tester does in that role”. I asked, “…so why not make it an exact fit so it’s an ‘MOT Tester’ qualification?” He responded, blandly “…that’s not what we were asked to do”. Reading between the lines, I got the impression that whilst the IMI would have loved to offer an, ‘MOT Tester’ qualification, VOSA weren’t so keen!

Gillgrass explained that the IMI do not do training, but as an, ‘awarding body’, do set the standards required, together with a sister organisation called ‘IMI Awards’ who are a Government approved awarding body, and provide quality assurance for their qualifications together with the delivery of ATA Assessments.

VOSA say MOT Training is, “the responsibility of the Authorised Examiner”

Here’s a conundrum. Whilst authorised Examiners (AEs) do not need to know anything about the repair and servicing of cars and light commercial vehicles, they are (VOSA say), responsible for sending MOT trained Technicians to VOSA for ‘Tester Training’. That’s fine if ‘VOSA Approved’ commercial MOT Tester training courses were available commercially, but they aren’t. Like the ‘Emperor’s invisible clothes’, it’s a sham! VOSA aren’t interested in setting anything up with the industry, because when they had the chance with the IMI, they decided not to – why?

I’m not sure. Maybe VOSA don’t want the responsibility for poor Testing because training isn’t good enough, pinned on them – as that poor widow had assumed. That’s odd, because MOT Testing quality gears directly to ‘training’. In the broader scheme of things VOSA can’t escape responsibility for overall MOT Tester performance – it’s their Scheme, they decide how it all works, and currently they are the only official MOT training provider, despite the myth that AEs pre-train their Testers prior to VOSA’s so called, ‘Tester Training’ Courses!

‘Home made’ Testers…

There’s a bit of history here too. Strangely, at the MOT’s genesis in the early 1960s, in law, MOT Testers didn’t exist! The regulations only recognised Authorised Examiners, who ‘nominated’ somebody else to examine vehicles, but with no legal status. So, no ‘Testers’, so, no formal ‘Tester training. ‘MOT Testers’ only existed as ‘nominated’ by Authorised examiners. Even so, to make sure NTs were properly able to examine vehicles for the MOT, the then Vehicle Inspectorate set up their so-called ‘Tester training’ or, more accurately, ‘calibrating skills’ course. Effectively MOT Testers could only be ‘home made’, ie, nominated by AEs.

In 2005, with MOT computerisation that all changed. The new MOT legislation had to identify NTs to give them smart cards – they now had legal status. Theoretically this opened the door for VOSA to ‘enable’ a career path for school leavers to train to become MOT Testers. Provided VOSA agreed, Colleges could develop MOT Tester training courses, be validated by VOSA to examine candidate students, who, after four years working as technicians, could become MOT Testers without being nominated by an AE. VOSA even set up a Research and Development department with a guy called Mark Warden in charge, tasked to develop just such a system –nothing happened!

We do know however, that at least one commercial training company have their own Testing Station, so by ‘nominating’ Testers can produce ‘home made’ MOT Testers to order. Premier MOT are approved by the IMI to train students to the appropriate ATA level 3 requirement, and have also developed their own MOT training programme to ‘pre-train’ potential Testers before nominating them from their own VTS to go on VOSA’s course. Then, after the required ‘observed Test’ by a VOSA VE the students become fully fledged Testers. They have two outlets, one near Liverpool and the other at Southend – with the Southern outlet providing the Testing Station.
Perhaps other such a courses are offered by some training colleges with their own Testing Stations, but we have yet to hear about it.

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