There was a time when health and safety training was seen as a box-ticking exercise. Something you did because you had to, not because you wanted to. Most workshops now understand why that attitude was wrong. The same shift is happening with ADAS awareness training, and it is happening fast.
Advanced Driver Assistance Systems are no longer a feature reserved for prestige vehicles. They are fitted as standard across virtually every new car on the road today. That means they are already in your workshop, on your ramps, and being worked on by your team — whether your team realises it or not.
The parallel with health and safety is not a stretch
Think about what health and safety training actually does for a workshop. It does not just protect employees from harm. It protects the business from liability. It creates consistent processes. It means that when something goes wrong, the workshop can demonstrate it acted responsibly.
ADAS awareness training does exactly the same thing.
When a technician carries out a suspension repair, a four-wheel alignment, a windscreen replacement or even a front bumper respray without understanding how ADAS systems are affected, the workshop is exposed. Not because anyone set out to cut corners, but because nobody in the team had the knowledge to flag the issue in the first place.
That is not a technical failure. That is a training failure.
The risk is already in your workshop
Unlike some emerging technologies that workshops can afford to wait on, ADAS is already here. According to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders, the vast majority of new vehicles sold in the UK are fitted with at least one ADAS feature. Many have multiple systems operating simultaneously.
Forward-facing cameras, radar sensors, ultrasonic parking sensors, lane departure systems, adaptive cruise control — these are no longer optional extras. They are standard fitment. And every single one of them can be affected by routine workshop work.
A workshop that has not invested in ADAS awareness training is a workshop that is handling these vehicles without the knowledge to do so correctly. That is a risk that compounds every single day as more ADAS-equipped vehicles come through the door.
What awareness training actually gives you
ADAS awareness training is not the same as ADAS calibration training. You do not need to invest in calibration equipment to benefit from awareness. What awareness training gives your whole team is the knowledge to recognise when ADAS is involved in a job, understand what that means for the repair process, communicate the right information to the customer, and know when to refer the work on or bring in specialist equipment.
That knowledge alone reduces your exposure significantly. A service adviser who understands ADAS can ask the right questions at the point of booking. A technician who understands it can flag a calibration requirement before the vehicle leaves the ramp. A manager who understands it can build the right workflow around it.
This is exactly what health and safety training does. It does not turn everyone into a safety officer. It gives everyone enough knowledge to do their job without creating unnecessary risk.
The IMI Level 1 Award in ADAS Awareness
Our Virtual Academy delivers the IMI Level 1 Award in Advanced Driver Assistance Systems Awareness entirely online. The course is built for the whole workshop team, not just technicians, and covers how ADAS systems work, which repairs trigger calibration requirements, the financial and safety implications of a missed calibration, and how to handle customer communication around ADAS correctly.
It is IMI certificated, nationally recognised, and can be completed without taking anyone off the workshop floor.
Three certification options are available starting from £99 plus VAT, including the IMI Level 1 Award, an IMI Professional Development Certificate, and an OVA Certificate in ADAS Awareness.
The workshops that act now will be better placed
Health and safety training became non-negotiable because the industry recognised the cost of ignoring it was greater than the cost of doing it. ADAS awareness is heading in exactly the same direction.
The workshops that build that knowledge into their team now will be the ones handling ADAS-related work confidently, communicating clearly with customers, and avoiding the kind of mistakes that damage reputation and revenue.
The ones that wait will be catching up.
Find out more about the IMI Level 1 ADAS Awareness course at Our Virtual Academy
Frequently Asked Questions
Is ADAS awareness training a legal requirement for workshops?
ADAS awareness training is not currently a legal requirement in the same way health and safety training is. However, workshops that handle ADAS-equipped vehicles without adequate knowledge of how those systems are affected by repairs are exposed to significant liability. Awareness training is increasingly considered best practice across the industry.
How is ADAS awareness training similar to health and safety training?
Both protect the business and its customers from avoidable harm. Health and safety training does not turn everyone into a safety officer — it gives people enough knowledge to do their job without creating risk. ADAS awareness training works the same way. It gives every member of the workshop team the knowledge to recognise when ADAS is involved in a job and act accordingly.
Which routine workshop jobs can affect ADAS systems?
A wide range of routine jobs can affect ADAS systems, including four-wheel alignment, suspension repairs, windscreen replacements, front bumper repairs or resprays, and tyre replacements. Any work that affects the position or calibration of sensors and cameras can trigger a recalibration requirement.
Do all members of a workshop team need ADAS awareness training?
Yes. ADAS awareness is relevant to every role in the workshop. Service advisers need it to ask the right questions at the point of booking. Technicians need it to flag calibration requirements during a job. Managers need it to build the right processes. Estimators and bodyshop professionals need it to price and plan work correctly.
What is the difference between ADAS awareness training and ADAS calibration training?
ADAS awareness training gives the whole team an understanding of what ADAS systems are, how they work and which repairs affect them. Calibration training is a more advanced, practical qualification for technicians who will physically carry out recalibration work. Awareness is the essential foundation and does not require any specialist equipment to benefit from.
What does the IMI Level 1 ADAS Awareness course cover?
The IMI Level 1 Award in Advanced Driver Assistance Systems Awareness covers how ADAS systems function and which components are involved, which repairs trigger calibration requirements, the financial and safety implications of a missed calibration, and how to communicate ADAS requirements correctly to customers. It is delivered entirely online by Our Virtual Academy.
How much does the IMI Level 1 ADAS Awareness course cost?
Three certification options are available. The OVA Certificate in ADAS Awareness starts from £99 plus VAT. The IMI Professional Development Certificate is £149 plus VAT. The IMI Level 1 Award in Advanced Driver Assistance Systems Awareness is £199 plus VAT. All three options are based on the same online training content.
Can ADAS awareness training be completed without disrupting the workshop?
Yes. The IMI Level 1 ADAS Awareness course from Our Virtual Academy is delivered entirely online and is self-paced. Workshop staff can complete it at a time that suits them without taking time away from the workshop floor.
