A West Cumbrian technician is celebrating reaching the top of his profession after qualifying from a national programme.
Joseph Hyslop recently gained his master technician status after working his way through the Volkswagen Academy training programme.
The 60-year-old is one of the most experienced technicians in the UK and has spent
all his working life in the motor industry, 33 of which have been at Walkingshaw Volkswagen in Workington.
Now one of the UK’s top Volkswagen technicians, he will pass on his 44 years’ of experience to the Lillyhall site’s apprentice technicians.
He said: “I am over the moon to I have reached the top of my profession and it’s extremely rewarding to know I can now pass on my knowledge and experience to the next generation of technicians.
“I’m very grateful to Walkingshaw Volkswagen for giving me the chance to prove my worth, believing in me and for investing in my training.”
Walkingshaw Volkswagen’s brand manager, Andy Walkingshaw, said: “Joseph is thoroughly professional in his job and this qualification is reward for his efforts.
“He’s hard working, intelligent and the apprentices at Walkingshaw are lucky to have
a technician of his calibre teaching them.
“It costs approximately £100,000 for a technician to reach master technician status, but Joseph is worth every penny.”