IRTEC is an independent accreditation and validates the competence of technicians working to maintain the commercial vehicle, trailer and passenger carrying industries. An IRTEC licence is valid for 5 years and tests both the knowledge and practical level of an individual.

A voluntary scheme, developed by IRTE, a professional sector of the Society of Operations Engineers (SOE), to raise standards and encourage industry self-regulation in road transport maintenance, irtec is recognised as the industry benchmark of skills and knowledge.

IRTEC s managed for the IRTE by the Institute of the Motor Industry (IMI) and delivered by accredited centres in the UK and abroad. This partnership allows quality and independent assurance of the scheme. IRTEC not only enables individual technicians to develop their skills as they move through their career, but also helps employers to demonstrate their commitment to technical excellence.

Skills and Knowledge Requirements
The minimum entry requirement is 3 years industrial experience OR a Level 3 S/NVQ (or equivalent qualification) plus at least one year's experience in a relevant industrial environment. The technician must be able to work unsupervised and ideally be in full time employment to ensure they are familiar with the skills, knowledge and techniques associated with vehicle inspection.
Assessment
The candidate will need to demonstrate the correct inspection methods and use the appropriate equipment and information when making judgements on the serviceability of vehicle systems and components.
In order to achieve an irtec licence, a technician must first carry a theory test (Under Pinning Knowledge) at an irtec-approved assessment centre. Once the theory test is completed successfully, technician has 12 months to complete all the practical assessments.
As part of the underpinning knowledge test there are 50 theory questions related to the technician’s industry sector: 30% of the questions will be legislation related, 70% will be technical.