Mercedes-Benz Technician Hopes Skills Will Put Him on Top of the World

MILTON KEYNES, UNITED KINGDOM – August 4, 2009: A Mercedes-Benz technician will be going for gold when he competes in the WorldSkills ‘Olympics’ in Canada in September.

Dean Jones, a Systems Technician from Mercedes-Benz of Swansea, will be part of the British team jetting off to Calgary to take part in WorldSkills – the largest vocational skills competition in the world – which is being held between 1st and 7th September.

He will be among more than 1,000 competitors representing 50 nations at the event, which is held every two years and features categories ranging from traditional trade and craft skills, such as bricklaying and carpentry, to modern vocations including beauty therapy and web design.

Dean qualified for the ‘automobile technology’ section after winning the UKSkills competition, where he beat 1,400 technicians employed by various motor manufacturers to the title. His success against such a high level of competition is a fine indicator of the exceptional quality of the Mercedes-Benz Apprentice Programme and underlines the manufacturer’s commitment to providing the very best technicians to look after the needs of its customers. Dean’s in-depth training has since helped him to warm up for his global test by achieving a top ten finish in the EuroSkills event in Rotterdam.

In Canada, Dean will face five days of rigorous practical testing in which he will be required to demonstrate world-class competency standards in maintenance and repair across seven different disciplines. He will also be judged on how he adheres to health and safety regulations.

Tasks will include stripping and re-building a gearbox and engine, wheel alignment and rectifying electrical faults on both petrol and diesel engine systems across a range of different marques. Dean has been practicing on engines and parts supplied by competition organisers but the 21-year-old has also been preparing for his trip by building up his fitness, which has included a complete change of diet and spending two hours per day in the gym. “I’m definitely going out there to win and I’ve been told that my best chance is to be physically and mentally fit in order that I don’t get exhausted from the pressure of five consecutive days of competition,” he said. “Representing the UK in Canada will be something to look back on with great pride in the future but the competition as a whole has been a fantastic experience – not only in terms of the success that I’ve enjoyed up until now but the technical training that I’ve undertaken and been able to utilise in my day-to-day work.”