Motor dealers have been test-driving a new professional management qualification specifically for their industry, as part of a campaign to improve standards in the sector.

The Certificate and Diploma in Automotive Retail Management is part of a campaign launched by the motor industry's sector skills council, Automotive Skills, to create excellence in management and leadership within the automotive industry.

Awarded jointly by the Chartered Management Institute and the Institute of the Motor Industry (IMI), managers must complete a combination of online assessments and practical workplace assignments.

There are a series of modules covering subjects ranging from the explanation of automotive operations structures and identification of legal frameworks to resource planning and customer psychology.

To achieve the diploma, managers must undertake a 'peer review', to assess their ability to meet the specific requirements of their role.

Sarah Sillars, chief executive of IMI, said ahe hoped that the new qualification would improve recruitment and retention in the motor industry.

"It is a massive boost to the future of the UK retail motor industry as the career development opportunities will be more attractive to graduates," she said. "For those already working in the sector it's a chance to demonstrate management competence on a par with their peers in other industries."