Training & Development Co-ordinator Josh Whittemore, centre, with technicians Alex and Paul who recently attended Autotech Training’s EV course. Both technicians now feel confident to take on hybrid & EV servicing but are not likely to purchase an electric vehicle anytime soon!
Workshop visit: Elite Garage Canterbury autotechnician visits Elite Garage Canterbury to find out about this established family business with 16 sites across the South East, to ask how they have coped with recent challenges and how they are preparing for new opportunities with the help of Autotech Training Elite Garages, an independent tyre, MOT, car service and forecourt operator, has 16 sites across the South of England, and recently sent a minimum of two technicians from each site, to complete their IMI Level 3 Electric/Hybrid vehicle training with Autotech Training to meet growing demand.
“I started working for Elite when I was 17. I dropped out of college, spent a year with Elite and then went back to college. I'm now a university student and I also work here full-time. By choice!” says Josh. “I used to be a tyre fitter, I'm aircon and EV trained, and now I'm in the management team. I look after our pricing, and I also train our managers and organise training for the technicians.”
“Ownership of an electric vehicle is new to many customers, so they are naturally contacting their local garage for support, and it is vital that we have the knowledge to support them”
WORKSHOP VISIT
We met up with Josh Whittemore, Training & Development Coordinator for Elite Garages, to learn more about their current focus and future training plans…
“Elite Garages is a family business and has been open for over 60 years. It all started with my grandparents, with a petrol station in High Wycombe, and then when we started in garages, we opened our second site in Horsham and I think our oldest standing branch is Mannings Heath, which is where I started. That used to be our head office, I would go in there aged five or six and see my dad at work. I've always been around cars and it’s slowly grown over time. My sister and I work closely together, she looks after the marketing, HR and related things. I’m training her how to run depots next week in Newport, I'm running that for two weeks because our manager is on holiday.”
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