News Item

24/04/2008 - Award winning panel beater comes back to his roots to take on prestigious training role

He is an award-winning panel beater who has risen up through the ranks of the UK’s second largest independent collision repair chain. These days Chris McGowan is best known as Just Car Clinics’ (JCC) new Technical Trainer, working within its state-of-the-art Goole-based training and support centre – a role that will see him teaching best practice to apprentice panel beaters and other staff from across the group’s 600-strong workforce. 

Mr McGowan, 37, originally joined JCC’s Grimsby branch 11 years ago and went on to represent the company– which operates 21 bodyshops throughout the UK – in the national Bodyshop of the Year competition, in which he scooped the prestigious Panel Technician of the Year accolade in 2003. 

He then decided to pursue a career in training and started working at Hull College one day each week as a fractional lecturer in body repair, whilst continuing to work at JCC on the other days. At that time, there wasn’t a vacant position for a Technical Trainer at JCC, so Mr McGowan joined Hull College’s teaching staff on a full time basis once qualified. Now, he has come back to his industry roots and is excited about the new challenge he is taking on within the collision repair chain, which is the only  one in the country to boast its own in-house technical training centre. 

“I am delighted to be part of the head office team at JCC now, it’s where I originally learned my trade,” said the father-of-two “I already have a significant level of experience of how the company operates, after working here for seven years previously. I am now looking forward to sharing this knowledge with apprentices and members of staff from across the group, who will come to the Goole training and support centre for a wide variety of technical training.” 

Things have never been so exciting when it comes to training and development at JCC, particularly with groups commitment to achieving BSI (British Standards Institution) Kitemark at all sites during 2008 – an accreditation which recognises good practice in key areas of a bodyshop business including staff skills level, workshop capabilities and use of equipment, as well as the use of effective quality procedures.  

David Hall, JCC’s group training and development manager, is delighted that Mr McGowan has come on board at such an opportune time. He said: “We would like to take this opportunity to give Chris a warm welcome back to the group. In terms of his expertise, he really sets a benchmark for other members of staff to work towards – having won the Panel Technician of the Year award back in 2003, and since become an accomplished industry trainer, we feel that Chris is in prime position to take this new role on. 

“Just Car Clinics is committed to investing in its people and, essentially, to retaining them as staff members. We have just achieved approved assessment centre status with the Institute of the Motor Industry (IMI) which is a major achievement and the first step to enable us to carry out ATA accreditation assessments for our technical staff inline with the BSI kitemark requirements. We are also further investing in our apprentice scheme, encouraging more young people to join an industry in which there is still a skills shortage.” 

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