2011 UK Master Fitter Final Photo Gallery
2011 UK Master Fitter Awards
UK Master Fitter Competition 2011
The competition provides the ideal opportunity for Automotive Glazing Technicians across the UK to showcase their skills and abilities by taking part in a specially designed, practically based, industry specific competition.
There are 7 regional heats taking place between May and mid July 2011. The 6 highest scoring technicians from the regional events will compete in the UK final of the Master Fitter competition which will be held on 5th October at the WorldSkills London 2011 event. The winner will then be announced and celebrated at the Proskills Awards 2011 on 3rd November.
The UK Master Fitter Final in Photographs
The final of the Master Fitter competition was held on 5 October at London’s Excel Centre as part of World Skills 2011, the world’s largest international skills competition. The six finalists came through a series of testing regional heats to reach the national final, where they competed for a top prize of £2,500.
The finalists had to repair and replace a windscreen, as well as a side and rear window, within a strict time limit, accurately reflecting the needs of their customers. The competition ran in line with the current National Standards for Automotive Glazing, which provides a clear framework for skills development.
The winner of Master Fitter 2011 will be announced at the Proskills Awards on 3 November, which will also recognise the achievements of employees and companies from across the process and manufacturing sector. Proskills CEO Terry Watts believes competitions like Master Fitter play an important role in heightening awareness of careers opportunities in the sector.
“The Master Fitter competition provides the perfect opportunity to demonstrate, promote and recognise the high levels of skill and talent that can be found in the automotive glazing industry,” he says.
“The finalists have all learnt new skills and on-going development in the sector is crucial so that the industry can keep raising standards of performance and remain competitive. The jobs market is tough at the moment and skills can give young people a competitive edge. Events like WorldSkills help us to celebrate and invest in the skills we need to move out of recession.”
OUR 2011 FINALISTS!
We are now able to reveal our 6 highest scorers from our regional heats who will be competiting in our UK Final on 5th October at WorldSkills London 2011.
Congratulations to:
High levels of professional ability and practical skill were evident across all our events with close competition for those top 6 spaces.
A well-deserved thank you and well done to all our other competitors that have raised the bar this year.
South England - 13th + 14th July
The regional heats were concluded with our South England two day event over the 13th and 14th July at the Independent Windscreen Academy in Essex. Just like the Scotland heat that launched the regionals, our last heat also had two competitors declared joint winners. David Finch from Nationwide Motor Glass and Simon Watling from Agriglaze achieved the highest scores.
Left: David Finch with trophy. Right: Simon Watling during a task.
Kingley Basoon and Colin Perry, both from Autoscreens, and Lee Mason from AA Autowindshields were our other competitors. Ben Beckwith and Jason Atkins unfortunately had to withdraw from the competition.
Competitors from left to right: Colin Perry, Lee Mason and Kingsley Basoon
Midlands - 6th + 7th July
The Midlands heat of the competition was held over the 6th and 7th July at The AA Training Centre in Melton Mowbray. Congratulations to winner Steve Rosier from AA Autowindshields.
From left to right: Toby Stapleton at work, winner Steve Rosier with trophy, Paul Rahlan during a task
Steve obtained the highest score against competitors Toby Stapleton from Advanced Vehincle Glazing Ltd and Paul Ralhan from Glasstec. Marvin Stocks, who was also due to compete from Yorkshire Windscreens, unfortunately had to withdraw from the competition.
South West England - 29th June
The SW England heat of the competition was held on the 29th June at Devon Vocational Training, Newton Abbot. The highest score was achieved by Chris Clift from AA Autowindshields.
From left to right: Paul Frake, winner Chris Clift and Tim Green at work during the competition
Tim Green from BAD (Bournemouth Auto Detailing) and Paul Frake from Autoglaze were our other competitors at the event. Well done to all who took part.
North England - 15th June
The North England heat was held on the 15th June at Auto Windscreens in Chesterfield. Congratulations to winner Mark Blundell from AA Autowindshields.
Left: Andy Hall, World Skills UK, presents winner Mark Blundell with trophy. Right: Matt Cassells during a task
In a close competition with fine-tuned skills evident in both competitors, Mark managed to beat last year's winner Matt Cassells from Nationwide Windscreen Services to achieve the highest score.
Northern Ireland - 1st June
The Northern Ireland heat of the Master Fitter competition was held on 1 June at the Southern Regional College with Murray Bradford being awarded the highest score.
Competitors from left to right: Eddie Cooke, winner Murray Bradford and Kenny Bell
Mr Bradford is from Belfast and works for M & M The Windscreen Men. With 16 years of experience in the industry, Mr Bradford has some clear ambitions for the future. “I want to grow the company and compete with larger companies,” he said.
Companies must invest in the skills of their staff if they are to compete effectively. Competitor Kenny Bell from Newtownabbey works for the AA, and says that “learning new skills adds value to the business, and if you gain qualifications along the way then that’s a bonus”.
Murray Bradford
There are a wide variety of companies operating in the windscreens business, yet skills development is a priority for all of them, regardless of their size. Having worked in the industry for seven years, competitor Eddie Cooke from Derry is now self-employed and knows the, commercial importance of skills. “I aim to get the job done right first time,” he said.
Wales - 18th May
The Wales heat of the Master Fitter competition was held on 18th May at Swansea College. Well done to Dean Hill who achieved the highest score.
Mr Hill, from Port Talbot and working for the AA, started in the windscreens industry as an apprentice. He says of his job that “I enjoy meeting new people. As a technician you learn a lot and are never stuck in one place.”
Dean Hill
These skills help technicians deal with a range of problems out on the road. Mr Hill says continued training is essential if technicians are to perform effectively: “Skills are important to keeping the customer happy and being professional”.
These views are backed up by runner-up Neville Wiffen from Halstead who came to the industry later on in his career. He also has some more off-beat advice for anybody interested in becoming a technician. “Start in the Summer time!” he laughs.
Scotland – 5th May
The competition was kicked off with the Scotland heat held on 5 May, with Andrew Fountain and Steven Wynn declared joint winners with equal scores.
Currently working for National Windscreens, Steven Wynn has 18 years of experience in the industry and says training is crucial to helping younger workers develop their skills. “We need to offer more help to new fitters just starting out in the industry. You need to have good hands-on experience if you are to work effectively under pressure.”
Steven Wynn
These views are backed up Andrew Fountain of Advance Windscreens, who also boasts extensive experience in the industry. Mr Fountain started his career as a coachbuilder, where he learned to fit windscreens, and then moved into automotive glazing. “It’s important to raise the level of fitting, so any training available helps the industry,” he stresses.
Andrew Fountain
The Master Fitter programme will help raise the profile of the windscreens industry and demonstrate the technical skills of those who work in it. This is a key motivation behind Mr Fountain’s participation in the programme. “I want to get more recognition for the windscreen industry and to help raise the overall skill level,” he says.
Continuous professional development is a key issue in this regard. For those just starting out, rigorous training programmes are an important first step on the ladder, and Mr Fountain has some clear advice for the Master Fitters of the future. “Make sure you join a company that’s got a training programme so you work towards a qualification,” he says.