| Fancy yourself as a bit of a car buff, and love nothing | | | | spanner and hammer. So being good with tools as well |
| more than taking dad’s car apart to see what…if | | | | as your hands is a must! |
| anything, is wrong with it? Well if that’s you, then | | | | Working in such an environment will be dangerous- so |
| there are plenty of opportunities for apprentices in the | | | | you must be well aware of health and safety issues |
| retail motor industry- which can give you the chance to | | | | before you enter your place of work. You don’t |
| accelerate to a successful career in the trade! | | | | want to be the guy that falls down the pit in the |
| What's it about? | | | | garage do you!? |
| The retail motor industry deals with all aspects of cars, | | | | What do I get out of it? |
| vans, and motorcycles. It’s a broad area employing | | | | During an apprenticeship on maintenance and repair, |
| people who sell vehicles, fix and service them, fit new | | | | you’ll be carrying out routine maintenance and basic |
| parts, and even rescue motorists! With more than | | | | repairs but once on the advanced apprenticeship, |
| 32million vehicles on Britain’s roads, there is a great | | | | you’ll learn about more complex faults and learn |
| need for qualified motor technicians to keep them | | | | how to identify and repair them using sophisticated |
| roadworthy. And this is where you come in! | | | | diagnostic equipment. |
| As an apprentice in vehicle maintenance and repair, | | | | Working in vehicle parts operations- you’ll be |
| you could work for a dealership and focus on a | | | | working both behind the scenes receiving deliveries |
| particular manufacturer, or work for an independent | | | | and at the front desk, serving customers. Vehicle |
| garage that deals with many different makes of | | | | fitters get to supervise fast-fit operations by managing |
| vehicles. In both, you’ll choose your area of | | | | stock, organising staff and advising customers. And |
| specialisation, whether that’s motorcycles, cars, | | | | roadside assistance and repair apprentices, you’ll |
| heavy vehicles or vehicle electrical systems. | | | | be out on the road with an experienced vehicle |
| There are also retail motor apprenticeships in; vehicle | | | | recovery technician, assessing breakdowns and safely |
| fitting, body and paint operations, parts operations and | | | | removing vehicles and transporting them to garages. |
| roadside assistance and recovery. | | | | Advanced apprentices will be qualified to carry out |
| So something to keep everyone’s motor running! | | | | roadside repairs, if possible. |
| Who's it for? | | | | The framework an apprenticeship in the motor industry |
| It’s essential to have mechanical and technical skills | | | | follows includes; a technical certificate, an NVQ, Key |
| and you must have bags of enthusiasm and interest | | | | Skills and Employment rights and responsibilities. Once |
| for the motor industry as a whole. You will be | | | | qualified, a starting salary anywhere between |
| attempting to discover what’s wrong with a vehicle | | | | £13k-£15k can be expected. |
| a lot of the time so you need to be good at diagnosing | | | | The prospects are good and jobs roles as vehicle |
| and solving problems. | | | | technicians, parts operators, fitters and removal |
| Understanding basic engineering principles is required, | | | | technicians await! |
| while you can’t afford to waste time by calling a | | | | |