60 contestants from 11 coach and bus operators gathered in Bristol over 3-6 June to compete in the 12th Annual IRTE Coach and Bus Skills Challenge.
Hosted again by S&B Automotive Academy, this year’s theme of challenging the status quo saw the introduction of several new tests supported by the competition’s premium sponsors Alexander Dennis, Freeway Fleet Systems and VARTA.
Alexander Dennis returns this year having had a hiatus in 2023. The manufacturer showcased its Enviro100EV bus and a Ventura Systems door rig as part of two separate challenges in which competitors were tasked with solving an electrical fault and a pneumatic fault.
Laura Tofts, Head of Technical Training at Alexander Dennis, promotes the benefits of training on such items within the Skills Challenge as part of wider efforts to ensure longevity of the vehicles. “As a company we’re passionate about the role that training plays. It comes as part of the package that we sell with our buses.
“Good quality training is what keeps vehicles on the road, and we have a commitment to our vehicles to support our customers for 15 years. We can only do that if our customers are also able to maintain them.
“The Skills Challenge is part of the overall strategy for our training team; we want to be out speaking to the customers, we want to be speaking to the delegates and we want to be visible. We are here to support our customers. It’s also nice to recognise the apprentice and qualified technicians. They’ve put hard work in, they are the best of the individual businesses that compete, and it’s important for us to come out, acknowledge them and be part of the journey they have into the industry.”
Longtime premium sponsor Freeway Fleet Systems showcased its suite of digital fleet management solutions, giving competitors the opportunity to trial the technology. Feedback has been positive, and Managing Director Patrick Tandy reveals there are hopes to implement the system into a separate future competition.
He adds that Freeway’s sponsorship of the Skills Challenge recognises multiple benefits. “The values of the competition are directly aligned with Freeway values,” he says. “Investment in people, and promoting engineering excellence. Coach and bus is a major sector that we’ve worked in for 30 years, so to be able to give something back is an important thing for us.
“Our sole existence as a company is provision of fleet maintenance solutions. It’s the only thing that we do. IRTE is a natural fit for us, and with coach and bus being so important, that fit becomes even stronger. It’s a no brainer for us support the event.”
This year IRTE welcomed VARTA as a new premium sponsor. The battery manufacturer designed a test involving faults with three different lead-acid battery technologies. In addition to supporting the Skills Challenge, it hopes to raise awareness of the necessity of preventative maintenance to prolong the life of batteries, as well as broaden knowledge of different battery technologies to ensure correct use in heavy vehicles.
“We chose to sponsor the Skills Challenge this year because we keep seeing trends in the industry with battery issues,” says Vince Ward, Key Account Manager Heavy Duty for VARTA and one of the examiners for the Skills Challenge. “So we first decided to raise and create our profile. We have done that with IRTE and the Society of Operations Engineers before.
“Then we thought the best thing to do is get involved at the ground level, with the right people who we want to communicate with, then establish an ongoing programme of promoting preventative maintenance in the coach and bus world. We keep seeing the same issues being repeated time and again, and it’s lack of preventative maintenance that is causing issues, and we can do our part to promote that.”
Imperial Engineering, which has sponsored the Skills Challenge from its inception, returned once more for 2024, praising the organisation and energy of this year’s event. Sales Manager John Simmons used the Skills Challenge as a platform to call for more government funding and support to encourage apprenticeships in coach and bus.
“As we know, the industry has a massive shortage of skilled engineers and I believe the only way we can have more skilled engineers working on products such as the brand-new buses coming along is through apprenticeships,” Mr Simmons says. “I believe the government needs to do more and put more funding in to encourage more bus engineers. Although Imperial is a component supplier to all major bus companies, we also do training including apprenticeship training. Just this year alone we’ve done several courses in our training school in Harlow with bus operators. We’re encouraging sharing knowledge and expertise to encourage more in the industry.
“It’s down to the colleges to increase their offering and specialist courses which tends to be happening now. We’re keen to support the whole industry with training and product development.”
Emma Thompson, Designated Executive Director at the Society of Operations Engineers, echoes the sentiments that the Skills Challenge is helping promote awareness of apprenticeship training and addressing the skills shortage in the industry. “For this year’s Skills Challenge we emphasised newer technology that the technicians and apprentices could be exposed to,” she says. “For many, this technology is not available in their own workshops, which helps them on their journey to becoming the best in the industry.
“The aim is also to help address the skills shortage. Events like the Skills Challenge help to keep apprentices and technicians up-to-to date with new technologies that are coming in, which not only benefits those that are working on them, but the operators that are hoping to retain staff with even higher levels of skill.”
Richard Belton, Operations Director at S&B Automotive Academy, agrees, highlighting the pace of technological change in the industry. He notes also a focus this year on ensuring apprentices don’t sell their own skills short, and are thinking about their future within the context of that pace of change.
“We’re pleased to host again,” he says. “It’s good for us and the staff that do it are thoroughly invested and want to see it work. It’s a great focus for S&B and the industry to get more involved in training and education, to showcase what we and the industry do.
“We’ve introduced some slightly different tests this year and we’re trying to get our contestants thinking of new ideas to push boundaries more than we have in the past.
“A lot of the guys and girls in the contest think they’re ‘just mechanics’. They don’t recognise the high level of skills that they have. As well as showcasing those skills to the world, the Challenge is getting them to recognise those skills in themselves.
“It’s also getting them thinking of where they’re going to be in the future, and where the industry is moving. Coach and bus is moving at such as a quick rate that it’s difficult to place where it will be in five years’ time; the pace has surprised a lot of people in the industry, especially in inner city areas. But the competitors are confident, and the fear of trying something new seems to have been removed this year. With a bit of reassurance, nearly everyone is willing to step outside of their comfort zone.”
Prizes this year will be sponsored by BYD and the competition winners will be announced on 11 July at the British Motor Museum.
