Thatcham Research and Autoglass parent Belron have been applauded for their work at the Institute of the Motor Industry (IMI) awards.

Nina Hossain of ITV News presented Thatcham Research with the award for Outstanding Contribution to the Motor Industry

Held last night (17 March) in London, the event recognised the accomplishments of individuals and organisations across the sector in driving continued development and raising already exemplary standards.

This year’s winners include Thatcham Research, which took the title for Outstanding Contribution to the Motor Industry.

The organisation was recognised for unwavering support not only for apprentices during the pandemic but also the wider repair sector through its dedicated research and training programmes.

This includes its blended ‘EV Ready’ training programme, putting Thatcham at the heart of ensuring that the UK’s transition to electrification will be supported by the repair sector. The programme also aligns with the IMI TechSafe accreditation, creating a combined commitment to the safety of all those training and working on vehicles with high voltage systems.

The awards also saw Belron given the Partner of the Year accolade for its promotion of the IMI qualifications to raise standards across the UK and beyond in upskilling to meet the demands of new vehicle technologies. Its creation of a bespoke IMI Accredited Learning Programme Assessor Award by Belron marks its commitment to standardising its assessors’ capabilities in any language in any region, worldwide.

Its UK brand, Autoglass, was heavily involved in the new Automotive Technicians Glazing standards. And Belron is currently in talks with other IMI training providers to develop its own apprentice programme to grow and develop future skills.

For the full list of winners at the IMI 2022 Awards, click here.

Speaking at the awards, Steve Nash, CEO of the Institute of the Motor Industry, said that the automotive industry had gone above and beyond to ensure that the hurdles of the last two years had been overcome and unexpected opportunities grasped.

“The IMI is extremely proud to represent a richly diverse community of new and established professionals who have stood shoulder to shoulder to not only safely ride the pandemic, but also strengthen the industry’s foundations to ensure its continued success. Last night we had the opportunity to recognise those over-achievers in one of the first in-person gatherings for the sector as we come out of the pandemic,” added Nash.

Commenting on the Belron/Autoglass award, Sean Brookes, technical innovations manager at Autoglass, said: “I would like to thank our Technical Training team for all their hard work which has helped us to win this award. The technology in vehicle glass and recalibration is developing at an incredible rate, and educating the industry to ensure all technicians have the necessary skills in place to keep drivers safe is incredibly important. The IMI is an invaluable partner in this mission, and we hope to do more work with them in the future to help raise standards and ensure technical skills are properly recognised.”