Thatcham Research celebrates 2026 apprentice skills competition winners
Thatcham Research recently welcomed 20 of the UK’s most talented automotive apprentices to its state‑of‑the‑art Automotive Academy, the host venue for the 2026 finals of the Steer Automotive Group’s Apprentice Skills Competition.
Now in its third year, the competition has expanded significantly since its 2024 launch. What began with just two disciplines, body repair and automotive refinishing, now encompasses four categories, reflecting the skills required in today’s modern repair environment:
Body repair
Automotive refinishing
Automotive MET (Mechanical, Electrical & Trim)
Automotive VDA (Vehicle Damage Assessment)
The competition has already seen 40 apprentices compete in heats across all four categories during National Apprenticeship Week 2026 where judges graded their performance on:
Technical precision
Planning and organisation
Communication and professionalism
Time management
Adaptability and problem-solving under pressure
As one of the UK’s leading centres for automotive repair training and research, Thatcham Research’s Automotive Academy was the natural location for this year’s finals.
Its advanced workshops, cutting‑edge equipment and a learning environment designed to mirror the modern repair centre was perfectly suited to host the 2026 assessments.
Each discipline’s tasks exposed apprentices to the expectations they will face as qualified technicians. Every task was also judged by the same industry professional throughout, ensuring fairness, consistency and high-quality feedback.
Following completion of each task, judges delivered immediate feedback, highlighting strengths, development areas and professional insights to help the apprentices progress.
The top 20 finalists, five from each discipline, visited Thatcham Research for two days of technical challenges designed to push and assess their abilities. During the two-day finals they completed advanced task scenarios to reflect real workshop complexity, with one overall 2026 Skills Campion named for each discipline.
2026 Steer Automotive Group’s Apprentice Skills Competition winners
2026 Body Repair Skills Champion
Theo Barretto – Grantham
Runners up:
Daniel Woodhouse – Steer Bristol
Joe Carey – Wokingham
Nassor Abdillah – Coventry
Scott Skeats – Salisbury
2026 Automotive Refinishing Skills Champion
Samuel Cilla – Maidstone Prestige
Runners up:
Hassan Khan – Glasgow
Max McGowan – Eastleigh
George Briggs – Southend
Jacob Orrey – Sleaford
2026 Automotive MET Skills Champion
Zak Loran – Heathrow
Runners up:
Faith Best – Cambridge Prestige
Oscar Reeve – Portsmouth
Ethan Hancock – Luton
Finley Flint – Worthing
2026 Automotive VDA Skills Champion
Anthoni Kurek – Grantham
Runners up:
Charlie Channing-Jones – Bexhill
Jack Cursons – Cambridge Prestige
Jake Harrison – Sleaford
Kai Collymore Walster – Wellingborough
Gavin Ruddick, CEO at Steer Automotive Group, said: “The Apprentice Skills Competition is about more than identifying and recognising the winners, it’s about building the confidence of each apprentice that takes part, through delivery of clear performance benchmarks in a real-life operational environment, where the skills and behaviours of our evolving repair sector are demonstrated with consistency.
“As our Steer Group Academy continues to grow our skills competition gains greater momentum, and our apprentice experiences from those taking part are shared to encourage even greater engagement and participation for year ahead.
“Hosting the finals at Thatcham Research reflects our shared commitment to technical excellence, ongoing partnership in evolving repair techniques to support the technology of the current and future vehicle parc and enabling our apprentices with the confidence and experience to be successful in our businesses repair environment.”
Steve Hoe, head of academy & organisation development at Steer Automotive Group, said: “The Skills Competition has become a crucial platform for showcasing the next generation of automotive repair talent. Each year we see young people bringing more confidence, capability and passion to their craft, and 2026 was no different.
“Everyone at Steer Automotive Group is incredibly proud to support this initiative that raises standards and helps to shape tomorrow’s workforce.”
Dean Lander, head of repair sector services at Thatcham Research, said: “The standard of work from this year’s apprentices has been exceptional. It’s been brilliant to see them compete in our Automotive Academy and develop skills that will define our industry’s future.
“By combining challenges with structured feedback, the competition helps apprentices grow in both skill and confidence, benefits that extend well beyond the competition itself.
“We’re proud that Steer chose our Automotive Academy as the backdrop for this year’s finals. Our facilities are purpose‑built to reflect the complexity of real‑world repair, and hosting the competition here reinforces Thatcham Research’s role in shaping the technical capability of the modern automotive workforce.”