The final saw more competitors and from more markets taking part, as this intensive examination of skills and knowledge ensures it is a hard fought battle to claim the prestigious title. And with automotive technology advancing so rapidly the need to inspire and retain brilliant technicians is more business-critical for Jaguar Land Rover than ever before.

Today’s Master Technician is already vital to the success of Jaguar Land Rover and looking into the near-future these men and women are set to play an ever more pivotal role when it comes to keeping customers loyal to our brand and buying our products.

So why is the technician such a key colleague in all our futures whether we work factory-side or in the retail world? The simple answer is that automotive technology is developing at a truly prodigious rate and Jaguar Land Rover is a company pioneering many of these advances.

And as the headline-making Jaguar Land Rover Tech Fest underlined last year our future products have the potential to be the most sophisticated and intelligent piece of technology a customer will own and could well give Jaguar Land Rover a major competitive edge for years to come. However, exciting state-of-the-art products need to be supported by great, right-first-time customer service and it will be the Technician who’ll be responsible for ensuring customers understand, experience and enjoy this technology.

“The Global Technician of the Year Award undoubtedly has one eye on our future,” explains Global Learning and Development Director Andy Goy. “Introducing new technology is something our customers want and expect from Jaguar Land Rover but it must be underpinned with excellent, up to the minute technical knowledge at retailer level. And that is why backing our leading technicians matters so much.

“Holding a global competition is also a great, engaging way to encourage and reward these professionals and next year an apprentice category will be launched so that the upcoming generation gets an opportunity to shine.”

According to Andy widescale changes have already taken place in the retail sector with a Jaguar Land Rover Master Technician having undergone the extensive learning programme that can take up to five years to complete. Their work has to span both the digital and physical worlds with diagnostic expertise supported with mechanical know-how.

“It is far more than replacing brake pads,” says Andy. “The Master Technician needs to be able to interrogate sophisticated electrical systems in our vehicles and pinpoint often very complex faults, then find the right solution and all to a deadline. Their laptop is arguably just as important as their toolkit.

“These professionals already possess a hugely impressive array of skills and are crucial to the success of our retailers, so we entitled it Everyday Legends because they deliver great results day in and day out.”

It is a view echoed by Ian Grigg, Technical Training Development Manager at the Jaguar Land Rover Academy, who goes onto explain that the days when the mechanic never strayed beyond the workshop and was rarely seen by the customer are long gone.

“Being a Master Technician is an increasingly frontline role,” he says. “Many of our retail partners realise they’re the experts who can demonstrate the infotainment system, or set the customer’s car up with bespoke settings they want, or a detailed explanation on faults and how it was rectified.”

With vehicle technology on an inexorable march and Master Technicians being key players in making sure it works for Jaguar Land Rover’s customers, the Global Technician of the Year Award would seem to be an increasingly important date in the company’s business calendar.

“Just bringing people together from across the world is hugely productive in terms of sharing knowledge and that exchange of ideas is also taking place at market-level as we have national competitions running pretty much throughout the year as well,” explains Ian.

“However, the prime objective is to show our elite technicians they’re genuinely valued. We want these people to remain part of the Jaguar Land Rover family and holding a major event dedicated to showcasing and rewarding their skills hopefully underlines this fact.”

View Team Talk's full gallery from the Global Technician of the Year Awards here.