An apprentice motor vehicle service and maintenance technician services and repairs light vehicles such as cars and vans and works either in dealerships which focus on a particular manufacturer, or in an independent garage which deals with many different makes of vehicles. The Automotive Retail Industry provides employment for over half a million employees who work for approximately 70,000 employers. It is a major contributor to the UK economy. In a large dealership the technician will typically report to the Workshop Controller, who in turn reports to the Aftersales Manager and liaises with the Service Reception. In smaller garages the technician will report directly to the owner or Garage Manager. The apprentice must be able to work independently but also operate as an effective team member and have good customer handling skills. They will understand how their workshop and the dealership and garage functions from a commercial perspective and identify ways in which they can work more efficiently. For example, when using resources consider the use of green parts and returning used parts to the manufacturer for recycling.

Apprentices working in large dealerships work with other departments, for example carrying out work for the Sales Department and ordering parts from the Parts Department, whereas apprentices in smaller independent garages may be called upon to carry out some of the function of the other departments themselves, for example managing their own delivery of parts. The apprentice will work on all the systems found within the vehicle. The day-to-day work ranges from replacing simple parts through to solving complex faults with the use of diagnostic methods and equipment. When carrying out these functions' apprentices must ensure that waste is disposed of in an environmentally conscious manner.

The tasks faced are constantly changing, driven by the introduction of ever more complex technologies and diagnostic techniques. For example, the increasing number of zero emission vehicles in the motor industry. The growing complexity of today’s vehicles, and the pressure to deliver a high-quality customer experience, requires the retail automotive sector to attract and train high calibre individuals and this is reflected in the elements of the Standard described below.