Kuala Lumpur, 23 January 2009 – Mercedes-Benz Malaysia recently organized for the first time the MBM Skills Competition 2008 for Mercedes-Benz technicians with the objective to promote the spirit of continuous self-development and life-long learning amongst Mercedes-Benz technicians.  The Competition comprised two categories – the Certified Maintenance Technician and the Certified Diagnostic Technician.  A nation-wide qualifying round was held over a six month period at the respective dealer workshops which attracted 134 participants and the grand final was held at the Mercedes-Benz Training Centre in Glenmarie, Shah Alam.
 
The participants were subjected to a knowledge quiz, written and practical tests covering technical and non-technical aspects as well as the history of Mercedes-Benz and general automotive knowledge. The grand final saw 5 participants in each category compete for coveted cash prizes and trophies worth RM40,000.
 
It was a double joy for Cycle & Carriage Bintang Petaling Jaya when two of their technicians clinched first place in both categories. Tan Gim Tiam walked away as champion of the Certified Diagnostic Technician category winning RM10,000 while Quah Wei Kiat topped the Certified Maintenance Technician category winning RM5,000. Besides the cash prizes, both winners received gold medals and certificates of achievement as well as trophies for their respective dealership. The remaining finalists also received cash prizes, medals and a certificate each.
 
Mercedes-Benz-trained technicians have always performed well at various national and international competitions, including winning the Golden Hand Award at the Malaysia Skills Competition.
 
The Mercedes-Benz Apprentice Training Centre (ATC) was established in 1984 under the auspices of Daimler AG and Deutsche Gesellschaft fuer Technische Zusammenarbeit (GTZ) GmbH.  It was the first of its kind in Malaysia to be set up by a private automotive company at that time to develop a pool of well-trained skilled technicians to meet the growing demand of the motor industry and ensure a constant supply of workforce with an international level of expertise to the Mercedes-Benz dealer network.  The ATC program was initially a 2-year Basic Automotive Course which was subsequently topped up with a 10-month Electronic Automotive Training module.  With the ever increasing amount of electronics and computerization of new vehicles, in 2003 the 2-year Basic and 10-month top-up program was replaced by a new 3-year Automotive Mechatronic Course. 
 
The program emphasizes practical training with the usage of latest versions of actual vehicles with guidance from Daimler AG trained and certified trainers.  Upon graduation, the Apprentices receive a Mercedes-Benz Apprenticeship Certificate together with a NDTS k-Certificate from the Ministry of Human Resources.  They are bound with a 3-year bond which comes with guaranteed employment plus minimum salary guarantee within Mercedes-Benz Malaysia’s service network nation-wide.
 
In addition to the apprenticeship program, the Mercedes-Benz Training Center also conducts product and soft skills training to develop their dealership workforce.