A 10-year dream became reality for Wallasey man Keith Witherspoon earlier this month.

Keith opened the letter that told him he'd been successful in his bid to join the elite brotherhood of BMW Master Technicians. He's now one of just 30 people in the UK to hold the title.

Said Keith: "The gold tie pin's great and the four days in Munich with my wife as guests of BMW will be marvellous. Having the Managing Director of BMW UK present the plaque is a real honour, but best of all is finally achieving something I've wanted for a long time."

He's the Technical Foreman at Williams BMW in Liverpool and lives in Wallasey with wife Kathleen and two children.

"Its been my goal in life since I joined Williams nearly 10 years ago," he said. "Master Technician status carries a great deal of weight in the industry and I'm delighted to have achieved it."

When he arrived at BMW's Technicians' Institute at Bracknell for the final test, he was faced with the task of rebuilding one section of an engine in less than 40 minutes!

"That was just the start of it. It was a full day of of intense pressure that also involved written papers, assessments, customer skills and a thorough testing of fault-finding procedures. Awesome," he reflected.

"My family life has been on hold for the last few months while I've been preparing for the big day. I had to learn everything there is to know about the BMW range and keep in touch with all the new developments that came along. It was like studying for a degree. Now, its all been worth it."

BMW Technicians can only be considered for Master status if they've had at least five year's relevant experience with BMW, gained good results in advanced courses and are able to demonstrate the required standards of technical ability and personal presentation.

Of the 40 who took part only five were successful

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