A service technician at Bowker BMW on Trident Park in Blackburn is celebrating successfully passing one of the toughest technical accreditations in his trade for the first time.
41 year-old Phil Darwen from Lostock Hall, Preston has been awarded BMW Master technician status for the first time. He’s one of only 70 Master Technicians in the country.
Phil’s achievement is even more remarkable, because he completed his senior and master technician accreditations in the same year – something that normally takes candidates years to complete.
Phil achieved his Masters qualification after successfully passing a rigorous day-long exam – which has to be retaken every five years.
Phil said: “The most challenging part is keeping up with the new technology. But we also see older cars with over a hundred thousand miles on the clock. We enjoy keeping them running as well as the day they rolled out of the dealership. Bowker BMW is a very supportive company. Hopefully payback for the dealership’s support. I’ve worked hard. But they have invested in me too.”
In the tests, Phil successfully completed the industry-recognised examinations featuring a range of online, practical, diagnostic and theoretical examinations. The test also includes a coaching exercise and customer handling situations.
Stewart Rose, Bowker Motor Group service manager, said: “Congratulations to Phil. It’s a wonderful achievement. He’s a very valuable member of the team here at Bowker, he works hard and inspires and helps colleagues with his knowledge and passion for the latest BMW models.”
That leaves Bowker BMW in Blackburn with one of the most qualified service departments in the UK: 1 Master technician; 3 Senior technicians; 12 BMW Technicians and 3 BMW Service Technicians – all with Automotive Technician Accreditation.
