The Duke of York opened Bosch's new multi-million pound training centre in Uxbridge on Wednesday, 12 December. The new Service Training Centre (STC) has been built to satisfy the huge demand for Bosch's automotive training courses from the UK and Ireland’s aftermarket industry. 

His Royal Highness visited the training centre, as part of his continued focus on promoting and recognising businesses that support Apprenticeship programmes and the development of employability skills.

Bosch's previous training centre at its Denham site is oversubscribed, but the new, 2,000 square metre facility on Riverside Way, will train 4,500 vehicle technicians every year, in a mixture of classroom and workshop areas, quadrupling the capacity. Training courses can also be delivered via the internet, thanks to the training centre's webinar facilities.

As vehicles are becoming ever more complex - with almost 100 computers on some of the latest luxury cars - it is vital that workshop technicians are equipped with the knowledge and tools to service them correctly.

With the service and repair of today's cars becoming increasingly complicated, the failure of garages to diagnose and fix faults has become a major concern for motorists. A recent special report by Auto Express, revealed the issue to be the biggest single gripe in the magazine's 2012 Driver Power satisfaction survey.

Robin Shaw, divisional director of Bosch Automotive Aftermarket said: "We are delighted to be opening this new facility in Uxbridge and are proud to be expanding both Bosch's footprint in the local area and its training offering to the automotive aftermarket sector."

The STC is part of the company's garage services offering, which includes equipment, software and helpline facilities, and forms a vital component of Bosch's Automotive Aftermarket division. The new facilities will allow both independent garages, including the national Bosch Car Service network, and franchised garages access to the latest automotive technology training courses.

Bosch’s comprehensive training offer is currently supplemented with practical training on hybrid technology, as well as special training sessions for service and repair work on commercial vehicles. In the practical training courses, workshop associates learn all there is to know about modern vehicle systems and effective handling of diagnostic and testing technology.