- Skills Olympics competition finds the best of the best
- Liam Hendry of Macklin Motors Hyundai crowned 2024 champion
- European Skills Olympics to be held in September
High Wycombe, 25th June 2024
Hyundai Motor UK recently held the 2024 running of the UK Skills Olympics to determine the “best of the best” from 870 technicians across its retailer network.
The UK Skills Olympics is open to all Hyundai Expert and Master level Technicians across the Hyundai Motor UK retailer network, with overall winner representing the UK at the European Skills Olympics finals in September.
Expert and Master Technicians from across the network were invited to take part via an initial test carried out remotely via an app specially produced by the Hyundai Motor UK Training Academy. The top 12 Technicians were then selected to compete at a two day in person event at the High Wycombe based training centre, where a range of practical fault-finding diagnostics and Hyundai product range knowledge assessments were held. The overall UK Skills Olympics Champion was Liam Hendry from Macklin Motors Hyundai in Dunfermline. Liam will go onto represent the UK at Hyundai’s European Skills Olympics being held at Hyundai’s Nürburgring testing facility in September.
Whilst designed to find the UK’s best Hyundai technician, the 2024 UK Skills Olympics is also the culmination of 18 months of work from Hyundai Motor UK’s own in house Technical Training team at the Hyundai Academy. During that time, a purpose-built technical expert curriculum has been designed, focusing on the latest technology and diagnostic processes, to ensure Hyundai Motor UK’s technical training provision remains industry leading.
Ben Sargeant, Customer Experience Director, Hyundai Motor UK said “The annual UK Skills Olympics has become one of our key events in the training calendar and always sees great interest from our technicians across our network. It is important for us to recognise the high level of both technical skills and product knowledge that our retailer technicians work hard to maintain and my congratulations to Liam on his outstanding result.”
Phil Weston, Technical Training & Development Manager, Hyundai Motor UK said “The UK Skills Olympics is designed to challenge even the highest of skilled Master Technicians and it’s satisfying to see performances continue to be to a very high standard. Liam will represent both Macklin Motors and Hyundai Motor UK at the European event in September, where I am sure we will see him returning with an even greater honour.”
The 2024 UK Skills Olympics Champion, Liam Hendry, Master Technician at Macklin Motors Hyundai Dunfermline said “I’m delighted to have won this year’s UK Skills Olympics, it’s a satisfying achievement for me personally particularly when the skill sets of all my fellow competitors was so high. I’m looking forward to representing both Macklin Motors and Hyundai Motor UK in Europe later this year.”
The High Wycombe based Training Academy has been in operation since 2010 and is owned, operated and staffed by Hyundai Motor UK. Its Trainers work closely with UK, European and Global operations to deliver the very latest in bespoke technical training information and wider product knowledge. Last year, the Academy delivered 2477 face to face training days, 521 digital training days and a further 2800 e-learning courses via its remote learning App.
The Hyundai Skills Olympics is a yearly event at a national level, with finalists going onto compete biannually at the European Skills Olympics in Germany, or the Global Skills Olympics in Seoul, South Korea. Hyundai Motor UK has always demonstrated a high level of performance at the final events, most recently when Tim Cartwright from Stoneacre Hyundai secured a 3rd place at the Global Skills Olympics in October 2023.
This years UK Skills Olympics finalists were:
1st Place | Liam Hendry | Macklin Motors Hyundai, Dunfermline |
2nd Place | Jamie Robinson | Endeavour Hyundai, Ipswich |
3rd Place | Jacob Godfrey | Brooklyn Hyundai, Seaford |
Highly Commended | David Thomas | Wessex Garages, Cardiff |
Greg Campbell | Leslies Hyundai, Sandown | |
Jake Taylor | Bristol Street Motors, Mansfield | |
Josh Newport | Read Hyundai, Boston | |
Martin Mulvenna | Daly’s Garage, Belfast | |
Richard Andrews | Marshall Hyundai, Maidstone | |
Shane Boden | Motorvogue Hyundai, Norwich | |
Wayne Newton | S G Petch, Darlington | |
Will Penny | Endeavour Hyundai, Colchester |
– End –
About Hyundai Motor Company
Established in 1967, Hyundai Motor Company is present in over 200 countries with more than 120,000 employees dedicated to tackling real-world mobility challenges around the globe. Based on the brand vision ‘Progress for Humanity,’ Hyundai Motor is accelerating its transformation into a Smart Mobility Solution Provider. The company invests in advanced technologies such as robotics and Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) to bring about revolutionary mobility solutions, while pursuing open innovation to introduce future mobility services. In pursuit of sustainable future for the world, Hyundai will continue its efforts to introduce zero emission vehicles equipped with industry-leading hydrogen fuel cell and EV technologies.
More information about Hyundai Motor and its products can be found at:
http://worldwide.hyundai.com or http://globalpr.hyundai.com
About Hyundai Motor Europe HQ
Hyundai Motor Europe HQ was formally established in 2000 with its main office in Offenbach, Germany. It is the regional headquarters responsible for selling vehicles in 47 European countries through 2,279 sales outlets, holding a 4.2 per cent market share in the first three quarters of 2023. More than 70 per cent of the vehicles Hyundai sold in the region are models engineered, tested, and built in Europe to meet the needs of European customers, served by the company’s Czech and Turkish production plants.
In the third quarter of 2023, around 16.1 per cent of Hyundai cars sold in Europe were zero-tailpipe-emission vehicles (BEVs and FCEVs), including respective World Car of the Year 2022 and 2023 winners IONIQ 5 and IONIQ 6. This makes Hyundai one of the leading manufacturers in terms of fleet share as well as total sales of zero-tailpipe-emission vehicles in Europe, as the company transitions to becoming a Smart Mobility Solutions Provider.
More information about Hyundai Motor Europe HQ and its products is available at www.hyundai.news. Follow Hyundai Motor Europe HQ on Twitter @HyundaiEurope and Instagram @Hyundai.Europe
About Hyundai Motor UK
Hyundai has sold vehicles in the UK since 1982 with its UK HQ based in Leatherhead, Surrey. As of February 2024, Hyundai has one of the youngest product ranges of any manufacturer, with almost all models younger than a year old. Hyundai is a pioneer in zero-emission mobility, including the fully electric, multi award winning IONIQ 5, IONIQ 6 and KONA Electric ranges and second-generation fuel cell electric vehicle NEXO, as well as it’s advanced hybrid and plug-in hybrid Tucson and Santa Fe models. All new passenger cars come with Hyundai’s unique Five Year Unlimited Mileage Warranty package, providing customers with a five-year warranty with unlimited mileage, roadside assistance package, five years of vehicle health checks and an EV High Voltage battery warranty of 8 years or 100,000 miles. Buyers of used Hyundai models are also protected by the industry leading Hyundai Promise Approved Used Cars program.
Hyundai Motor UK sales grew 8.3% year-on-year during 2023, selling 87,100 vehicles in 2024, with TUCSON leading the surge, as both the best-selling Hyundai model and the 2nd best-selling hybrid in the UK. 75% of Hyundai Motor UK’s 2023 sales were of SUVs and 48% Hybrid, Plug-in Hybrid or Electric. TUCSON shines yet again, with TUCSON Plug-in Hybrid selling 6,073 units during 2023 – an increase of 88% year-on-year.
Further information about Hyundai and its products is available at www.hyundai.co.uk and media information at: https://www.hyundai.news/uk/ Follow us on Twitter @Hyundai_UK_PR
For more information, please contact:
Natasha Waddington, Head of PR – natasha.waddington@hyundai.co.uk
Robin Hayles, Head of Product & Technical PR – robin.hayles@hyundai.co.uk
Emma Illman, Product Press Officer – emma.illman@hyundai.co.uk
Harriet Ward, PR Coordinator – harriet.ward@hyundai.co.uk