As part of its commitment to provide the best after sales and customer care experience, General Motors Middle East recently hosted the 2011 Dealer Technician Skills Competition in Dubai.

The annual competition is open to all dealer technicians from across the GM dealer network in the Middle East, including Chevrolet, Cadillac and GMC dealerships, and is organised to help improve technical skills, expertise and knowledge.

More than 3,000 dealer technicians entered the competition, a statement from the company said.

After two rounds of examinations, the top 36 technicians were selected to compete head-to-head and showcase their abilities at the two-day finals event held in the pit-garages of the Dubai Autodrome.

The competitors were challenged to diagnose, repair and correct systems on Chevrolet, Cadillac and GMC vehicles that were purposely outfitted with faults and operating problems.

Contestants were judged on capability and skill in expert product knowledge, technical knowledge and fix-it-right-the-first-time, the statement said.

GM Middle East invests $10 million annually in technical and customer care training for its dealer technicians, showroom staff and customer service personnel across the region.

Its training academy has five centers which are located in Dubai, Jeddah, Dammam, Riyadh, a; and Angat in the Philippines, providing 2,400 training days a year from 70 technical and customer care trainers. The company provides 169,000 hours of training every year, including web-based training, it said.

Noel Pangan from Universal Motors Agencies Dealership in Damam, Saudi Arabia, was awarded the prize as GM’s best dealer technician in the Middle East.

He was presented with the award by John Stadwick, president and managing director of GM Middle East, at a special gala dinner following the competition.

“We are investing heavily to provide a world-class shopping, buying and ownership experience for our customers. A key aspect to achieving this goal is to ensure that we have the very best dealer technicians in every GM service center across the Middle East. And at GM, I’m proud to say that we boast the best dealer technicians in the region,” said Stadwick. – TradeArabia News Service