Bridgestone’s new training facility to empower commercial tyre industry
The world’s largest tyre and rubber company revealed its dedicated training centre at the Motor Industry Research Association (MIRA) in Warwickshire, to supplement its existing portfolio of industry-recognised qualifications at customers’ headquarters.
The significant investment boosts Bridgestone’s current offering and is seen as a huge statement of intent as the company offers a suite of practical courses which will be relevant when technicians are out on the road and tending to tyre related call-outs.
Bridgestone’s training and development manager Paul Turner said: “This facility is a game-changer for us, as we will now have an easily accessible, dedicated centre in central England which offers the perfect environment for technicians to learn from.”
“The centre boasts a custom-built trailer rig from which a lot of hands-on wheel security courses can be based around, while more specialised topics such as locking rims, wheel flanges and tubeless tyres can all be covered on-site too.”
“In the past, we could only provide our courses remotely, by way of a visit to customers’ premises. Although we will continue to offer training courses at tyre dealer locations around the UK, the purpose-built facility will offer the ideal environment and equipment to achieve our main objectives of educating more technicians. At the same time, we will hope to reduce the number of fatalities on our roads involving commercial vehicles, which often occur due to unsafe practices when technicians are at the roadside.”
In 2015 and 2016, Bridgestone won the NTDA’s Staff Training & Development award and in the past 12 months, the company became the first major tyre manufacturer to offer a new accreditation for professionals to benefit from – the Society of Operations Engineers’ (SOE) Commercial Tyre Technician Licence. This licence aims to regulate the industry and provide a sense of ‘best practice’ with an approved standard that everyone can aspire to achieve.
Meanwhile, Bridgestone’s REACT Roadside Tyre Technician Training course won the Bridgestone European regional Gold award for its contribution to Education and health and safety in the commercial vehicle world in 2016. Fleet operators have gained life-saving knowledge and safety steps in the event of a roadside breakdown.
This course will be provided at MIRA, along with a number of others including manual handling & lifting, commercial wheel security and truck tyre inspection & regrooving.