The Automotive Technician Accreditation (ATA) is a trade qualification for all facets of

automotive repair An automobile repair shop (also known regionally as a garage or a workshop) is an establishment where automobiles are repaired by auto mechanics and technicians. Types Automotive garages and repair shops can be divided into following categor ...

in the United Kingdom. It is a voluntary scheme (not legally binding) similar to that for electricians run by the NICEIC and similarly, is not government-run.

History

It began in June 2005. It was introduced because the level of complexity required to maintain cars needed more competent technicians, from ''ATA-registered'' garages. Around 25,000 mechanics are ATA-registered.

Management

It is run by IMI Awards Ltd - IMIAL, a not-for-profit organisation that is part of the

Institute of the Motor Industry The Institute of the Motor Industry is the professional body for individuals working in the motor industry, internationally. IMI is the authoritative source of retail industry information, standards and qualifications. IMI plays a vital role in ...

(formerly Automotive Skills), based in

Brickendon Brickendon is a village in the civil parish of Brickendon Liberty in the district of East Hertfordshire about south of the county town Hertford, and is served by Bayford railway station. Centred on a traditional village green and a village pub, ...

Hertfordshire Hertfordshire ( or ; often abbreviated Herts) is one of the home counties in southern England. It borders Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire to the north, Essex to the east, Greater London to the south, and Buckinghamshire to the west. For govern ...

near

Bayford railway station Bayford railway station serves the villages of Bayford and Brickendon Brickendon is a village in the civil parish of Brickendon Liberty in the district of East Hertfordshire about south of the county town Hertford, and is served by Bayford ...

south of Hertford. They maintain a register of ATA qualified technicians. The IMI is the main national training organisation for automotive mechanics in the UK. The accreditations are a part of the (national)

Qualifications and Credit Framework The Qualifications and Credit Framework (QCF) was the national credit transfer system for education qualification in England, Northern Ireland and Wales until October 2015.. The replacement was the Regulated Qualification Framework. The QCF rep ...

. IMIAL has around 21 full-time staff at its head office. IMIAL is a member of the Federation of Awarding BodiesFederation of Awarding Bodies
/ref> IMIAL also maintains close contact with the

Qualifications and Curriculum Development Agency The Qualifications and Curriculum Development Agency (QCDA) was a charity, and an executive non-departmental public body (NDPB) of the Department for Education. In England and Northern Ireland, the QCDA maintained and developed the National Cu ...

Examination

Technicians are trained at over 500 approved centres (FE colleges and commercial training organisations) around Britain. Each set of practical tests for each type of accreditation takes around a day, with an online test (for simplicity of marking). It takes place at an IMI Awards Ltd centre.

References

External links

{{External links, date=November 2021
Automotive Technician Accreditation

Companies employing ATA technicians

Institute of the Motor Industry

Autocity (IMI)

News items

Garages in August 2010

Video clips

YouTube channel

Explanation of the scheme

Customer confidence
Motor vehicle maintenance Automotive technologies Mechanics (trade) Vocational education in the United Kingdom Accreditation 2005 establishments in England