Over 700 of the UK's most talented vehicle repair technicians competed for the 'Top Technician' title.

The final celebrated the nation’s most talented individuals in the sector by putting them through their paces in a series of challenges which tested the technician’s proactive thinking, problem solving and ability to diagnose complex faults and issues on a range of vehicles.

The role of today’s automotive technician has changed dramatically with the arrival of new technologies such as hybrids, as well as complex electronic and drive systems.

Mike Harding, of Harding Auto Services in Woking won the title and over £16,500 of prizes.

John Bland, of ZF Services, said: “We are investing in ways in which we can train the next generation of technicians. Gone are the days where you would see a greasy mechanic scrabbling around under the bonnet. Technicians require quality information, on-hand professional advice and practical experience to ensure that their garage is offering the customer the best possible service.

"We are focused on attracting, upskilling and bridging the skills gap. We have developed our won apprenticeship programme in conjunction with a local college to attract fresh talent into engineering but also developed and launched our own garage training programme, ProTech.  The training programme offers quality technical information on ZF Services UK’s vast range of products, with a balanced mix of theory and practical training sessions as well as access to top level information direct from the car manufacturers.”

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