Meet Matthew Ford, Light Vehicle Technology Silver Medalist

Meet IMI Skills Competition Light Vehicle Technology Silver Medallist 2024, Matthew Ford from Monmouth MOT Centre:

Competition experience so far:

"The experience so far has been great. I finished second in the Welsh competition, so I’ve had a similar experience, but the national competition at Henry Ford Academy in Daventry was fantastic. It was great meeting other apprentices and techs from all over, including some who I’d competed against before, and hearing what they do day-to-day. I’ve learnt from the challenge, for example, about Isolating high voltage systems which I hadn’t done before."

Career journey so far:

"My family has a military background from my grandad, dad and uncle so that was my obvious choice. But after thinking about it, I decided it wasn’t for me. I’ve always helped out with cars in the family so decided to go down that path. The first garage I worked at didn’t work out, but luckily my college put me in touch with Mike, and the rest is history. The best thing about my job is the people I work with, they’re an amazing bunch."

Future aspirations:

"The first thing will be to get my MOT license to support the business more, then I’ll decide if I want to specialise in Diagnostics, Electrics or EVs."

Employer and manager comments:

Matt's Manager, Mike said: “As an independent growing business we recognised the shortage of technicians and are really committed to doing our part. Matt has been an integral part of our relatively young business and has responsibility for one of our main contracts which shows the trust we place in him, which he has always lived up to. We want our apprentices to stay with us, so we invest a lot of time and effort into their wellbeing."

Advice for new apprentices:

"Always put quality over speed, no matter the pressure. And always aim to get things right the first time."