Nineteen year old Paul Gibbons, who is employed at Charles Braddock, in Sale is the 5,000th technician to achieve the Automotive Technician Accreditation (ATA) standard, which is governed by the Institute of the Motor Industry (IMI).

Gibbons, who has worked at Charles Braddock since joining as an apprentice four years ago, achieved his accreditation at service maintenance technician level at Training and Manpower in Manchester, one of 40 independent ATA approved assessment centres in the UK.

He is one of three technicians at the business, all of whom have achieved their ATA recognition. To mark the 5,000th milestone, Gibbons was presented with a bottle of champagne and a cheque for £200 by Sarah Sillars, chief executive, IMI Group.

Gibbons said: "It's important that our customers can see that we are professionally accredited. I'm proud to be part of this scheme as I like the idea of continuous training and national industry recognition, which will be good for my career."

Peter Braddock, managing director, Charles Braddock, said: "We're very proud to be involved in ATA. Vehicles are becoming much more complex so there needs to be a benchmark of technical competence. Such is my confidence in the scheme, we have invested in all our technicians achieving the standard and we joined the Good Garage Scheme when it was launched last year, which is proving beneficial too."

Sillars said: "ATA is here to stay and achieving this milestone sends a clear message across the industry that national recognition of an individual's current competence and integrity is valued by businesses which are playing their part in raising standards to improve public perceptions of our sector. Gibbons and his team at Charles Braddock have clearly demonstrated their commitment to making a difference, which the IMI applauds."