Steve Carter joins Alliance Automotive Group UK from 7th April 2018, as its technical training provider on an exclusive basis. He will work predominantly with the garage networks, supporting the AutoCare and United Garage Services garages, but will also support GroupAuto and UAN motor factors with the new EV/PHEV training requirements.
Steve’s role will involve delivering technical training to garages and motor factors, including the new EV/PHEV courses which he helped to develop with the Institute of the Motor Industry (IMI) and vehicle manufacturers on a steering committee. At the end of 2017, Steve was the only qualified trainer able to deliver the new qualification to the independent market in the UK. In 2018 so far, he has already delivered six EV 2.2 training courses to 35 AutoCare garages regionally, this qualifies them as the first garages in the country to obtain this new certification.
In addition, Steve has also delivered three Level 1 EV courses to GroupAuto motor factors; in total 18 motor factor staff have completed the course and obtained the EV Level 1 qualification for parts advisors. Although this is not a mandatory course for Motor Factors at the moment, it is a recommendation, and possibly will be legislated during 2018.
Steve has spent all his working life in the motor trade, starting his mechanical apprenticeship with Fiat before heading up the team at Train4Auto, the sole UK and Ireland training provider for eXponentia, in 2008.
“It was during these times that I became heavily involved with GroupAuto and the AutoCare garage programme. I was becoming increasingly impressed by the amount of effort that everybody was putting into this concept and the benefits the garages were clearly receiving.
“Towards the end of 2010 it was becoming increasingly obvious that the industry was going to go through the most monumental change of its entire history, this is when I became one of the first IMI Hybrid Assessors,” said Steve.
“I was asked to participate in the IMI steering committees for the new EV qualification, and was, to the best of my knowledge, the only independent aftermarket attendee. This new qualification which was released at the end of 2017 will make the original hybrid qualification redundant from June 2018.
“Whilst these changes may have taken longer than I originally thought back in 2009, it was becoming increasingly obviously they were going to accelerate and to achieve our collective goals it was going to require an organisation with the same enthusiasm and passion for this change in our marketplace.
“In my opinion the only organisation with the strength to deliver this throughout the UK automotive aftermarket, through the success of their AutoCare programme is the Alliance Automotive Group.”
Maria McCullough, Garage Networks Manager, said, “AutoCare has worked with Steve for many years and as new technology has emerged, Steve and eXponentia have made sure our garages were fully equipped with the relevant training. We are continuously investing in the future of our independent garages, ensuring they stay at the forefront of industry changes and new developments. We pride ourselves on having the best trained independent garages in the industry, so it is fantastic news that Steve will now work exclusively for our group.”
