The Retail Motor Industry Federation (RMI) will open a new training centre in Warwickshire in April to act as a resource for MoT tester training.

The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) is taking a new approach with MoT tester training by seeking to position it as a specific career route.

The RMI has been working with DVSA to develop the new national occupational standards for the MoT trade, and it “supports the DVSA’s move to open up MoT training to meet the needs of the industry”.

Future candidates at the new RMI training centre will be able to gain an industry recognised qualification drawn from standards developed by the MoT sector.

The RMI is a not-for-profit trade body and will deliver to both independent garages and franchised dealers on “equal footing”.

RMI directors Stuart James and Sue Robinson, who represent both franchise and independent garages, said: “Our new training centre is the next step in making the RMI a fully rounded supporting provision.

“With important changes coming for the way MoT testers are trained, the centre will become a vital resource for garage businesses and will ensure that our members are in pole position to react to shortages of testers.”