Is the automotive industry dead?

[Mk2Jo]

My 17 year old son has been trying to get a trainee/apprenticeship position as a mechanic (vehicle service technician is the correct term these days ) for over a year now ... he has applied for a dozen apprenticeships and not been successful (because he doesn't have the A-C grades required ) and he has contacted over 50 garages to see if they have any positions available but there is NOTHING

 

He has now done his first year at college and got his level 1 diploma and is now on his 2nd year to get level 2 but it's really disheartening Has the industry just died or is it just down here on the Surrey/Hampshire border ?

[Mad Mex]

My 17 year old son has been trying to get a trainee/apprenticeship position as a mechanic (vehicle service technician is the correct term these days ) for over a year now ... he has applied for a dozen apprenticeships and not been successful (because he doesn't have the A-C grades required ) and he has contacted over 50 garages to see if they have any positions available but there is NOTHING

 

He has now done his first year at college and got his level 1 diploma and is now on his 2nd year to get level 2 but it's really disheartening Has the industry just died or is it just down here on the Surrey/Hampshire border ?

 

Few folks i know have had the same problems around here (croydon/surrey), truth is smaller garages are few and far between now and are reluctant to take on trainees with the economy etc, and the Major dealerships/Service stations have so many applications they can cherry pick those with the best qualifications.

[SebringRS]

Im almost in the same situation, at college for my second year of vehicle body repair, had a job for the most part of last year, just a couple of days in a bodyshop helping out etc. The garage went quiet over a week or so, also didnt help that we werent making any money on the jobs we did do, because our stripper/fitter/polisher/kn*ob somehow managed to mess it up on the polishing stage e.g breaking through at the last minute

 

Anyway, long story short, they laid me off due to not being enough work, which is fair enough Although they did keep the useless one on that messed stuff up, which still confuses me, but hey-ho

 

 

Anyyywhooo, started looking like Jordan is, nothing at all, ended up working for my boss at the Carvery I work for on a Saturday morning Known him for years through my parents, and hes got a "small collection" of cars, one being an old Trans Am, that he's restoring, and due to him not having much time away from work, he's asked if id do it, so I've been doing that for the past month Out of that I've got my god parents two cars they want doing and a few other things too. So at the moment, I found going it alone was easier

 

And when I worked out that at the body shop I was being paid £20 a day (about £2.50 an hour), i realized it was probably for the best that they let me go, im now on £5 an hour, get to work at my own pace and get it right without having a boss moaning at me

 

 

I know work like this won't last, but concidering I really only need the money for fuel and repairs etc. at the moment, £30-£40 a week isnt too bad

[Mk2Jo]

It's certainly tough Tom but you sound like you have been fortunate there

 

Mad Mex - I thought you were all slightly better off there in Londinium and the built up areas but clearly not

 

If anyone knows anyone that has any trainee mechanic positions in a garage (he is at college 3 days a week so would consider 2 days work to continue with the college course or alternative full-time trainee) in the following areas ... please let me know >>

 

Hampshire: Alton. Petersfield. Waterlooville. Horndean. Liphook. Liss. Aldershot. Farnborough. Fleet.

 

Surrey: Farnham. Guildford. Camberley. Ash.

 

or surrounding areas. He has a full licence and his own car so travelling would be okay

 

Sorry to plug this on here (Admin power lol) but we have to try where we can Please ask around - thank you

[SebringRS]

Every little helps, theres a few places round here, but that would be a hell of a commute

[puddy]

All joking a side Jo,has he tried getting some experience in some tyre centres,

 

plenty of those around Aldershi*e, they are not to picky and it would do

 

wonders for his cv in this trade imho.

 

Lastly ,have you tried talking some sense into him, and talk him out of it.

 

Its a crap trade,believe me .

 

puddy

[Vista]

Interesting discussion this as a friend of mine runs a successful medium sized independent garage and I heard the other side of the story from him a month or so back.

 

He said that he gets regular requests from young people looking for apprenticeships or on job training and that unfortunately 95% of the hopefuls are nothing more than a liability. They come to him with absolutely no idea at all about what a tool set is let alone what to do with it if let loose on a car. Most of them like that he can spot and let down politely but that occasionally one slips through the net and he ends up spending more time chaperoning them and putting right their mistakes than he does actually earning money for the business.

 

Now I'm not suggesting any of the young folk on here are like that, in fact given the petrol heads they're exposed to on a daily basis, I reckon the opposite is probably true. But how much is it reasonable to expect someone interested in a mechanical apprenticeship in the motor trade to already know when they walk through the door of a garage looking for work?

 

Perhaps some of the resident Sponsors in the engine build / tuning trade can give their thoughts in this thread?

[Mrs O/H/C]

Not sure if this is a valid point ...The way I see it is that years ago companies were more family run and in turn a little more lenient to newbies.

So in turn could offer the time to train the youngsters whereas now it seems that its all about doing as much as you can in little time (Bonus schemes) so no one is happy for a newbie to take up their valuable time either in teaching or correcting mistakes as it affects their wage packet at the end of the week/month

[puddy]

Interesting discussion this as a friend of mine runs a successful medium sized independent garage and I heard the other side of the story from him a month or so back.

 

He said that he gets regular requests from young people looking for apprenticeships or on job training and that unfortunately 95% of the hopefuls are nothing more than a liability. They come to him with absolutely no idea at all about what a tool set is let alone what to do with it if let loose on a car. Most of them like that he can spot and let down politely but that occasionally one slips through the net and he ends up spending more time chaperoning them and putting right their mistakes than he does actually earning money for the business.

 

Now I'm not suggesting any of the young folk on here are like that, in fact given the petrol heads they're exposed to on a daily basis, I reckon the opposite is probably true. But how much is it reasonable to expect someone interested in a mechanical apprenticeship in the motor trade to already know when they walk through the door of a garage looking for work?

 

Perhaps some of the resident Sponsors in the engine build / tuning trade can give their thoughts in this thread?

 

Back in 1978 ,I was in the 5th year and had to go to the careers man to see what I wanted to do when I left school,and as I had spent most of my mis-spent youth down the local scrap yards with my dad fishing out bits for his morris oxford, and then building tracker bikes from bits for my mates, I said MECHANIC ,doh !

Well they gave me alist of local garages to send off applications to, who in turn asked me to attend various 'Aptitude' tests.

These were fairly basic,but did indeed sort out the hair dressers from the potential grease monkies.

Shame they don't still do them.

 

puddy

[puddy]

Not sure if this is a valid point ...The way I see it is that years ago companies were more family run and in turn a little more lenient to newbies.

So in turn could offer the time to train the youngsters whereas now it seems that its all about doing as much as you can in little time (Bonus schemes) so no one is happy for a newbie to take up their valuable time either in teaching or correcting mistakes as it affects their wage packet at the end of the week/month

 

Some truth in this, but its the sky high labour rates at franchised dealers which is causing the problem with no slip ups allowed, not many people earn bonus nowadays.

 

puddy

[Andy44Boz]

My son applied in writing to plenty of local garages, big and small, and no one even bothers to reply these days! Eventually we asked in person one we knew, and even though they weren't looking for anyone we asked if he could just help out in the holidays and see how it went. Eventually it all came good and he's now got a 2yr apprenticeship! Sometimes speaking face to face can make a big difference.

[Nick]

ive just managed to get an apprenticeship at my local stagecoach depot. when it came to application forms, everybody else waited for them to be posted to them, whereas i went in and collected mine from the depot and returned it an hour later in person. it also helps if he puts about EVERYTHING he has done related to cars on his CV/mention it when you go speak to them, its suprising how easy it them becomes good luck to him tho, i know how hard it can be

[garyv6100e]

Hi Jo go onto gatwick diamond jobs go to the apprenticeship page and there was a job going at a garage in Chichester not sure if that is to far for your son but could be worth a look

[LUKE261]

Im the automotive manufacturing industry and things arent good at the mo im afraid but they do take on apprentices for jobs like the assembly line maintenence team or research and development but as its been said in this post the best grades probably get cherry picked first

[Savvi]

It's properly dead in the motor industry at present Jo ..........

 

I've been running Savvi since 2002 and this is the worse i've known it, i do work for dealerships and small garages and they are all struggling and laying people off at the moment.

 

I'm finding more & more when i start to look into a vehicle fault people asking not to "spend" too much time or money on it as they will just put up with it or scrap the car and buy another.

 

It's also, has others have said, really difficult to find a youngster who actually wants to work and get their hands dirty, i've had a few working for me over the years and just wont even try anyone else cos all of them have cost me money one way or another.

 

I recently had a friends son come help me for a day ........... i even had to show him how to use a broom as he was quite obviously with me cos his Dad had told him to !!!!!! At the end of the day i asked if he thought he'd enjoy doing my type of work .............. his reply was no mate too hard i'd rather sit behind a Pc all day and earn twice as much.

 

I think it's the same in most "manual labour jobs" seems to me school leavers have it too easy and are just interested in working ........... i know not all are the same, it's a long time ago but i know i wasnt, i loved cars and thats all i wanted to do ............. as Puddy said i really wish i'd kept it as a hobby and done something else for working.

[Col-ashtonmobile]

We used to regularly take trainees from the local college for 4 weeks at a time , some cut it some dont , we gave a job to one who had a licence and he was with us 5 years then went to another proffesion , we took on another who was with us 3 years and now works for mercedes , they need to be given a chance , myself and Joe were average academicaly , but put a spanner ,engine , car in front of us and the brain is away full speed , sadly the openings for trainees had to end with us because we just could,nt afford to insure them , the premiums went through the roof and it definetly was,nt cost effective , very sad as an enthusiastic extra pair of hands willing to learn was a bonus , all i would suggest is get out there and go to garages in person armed with your cv as face to face is better than an application form , although you,ll have to fill one in anyway but you may leave an impression , good luck ..

[mr zefect]

When i done my apprenticeship 22 years ago there was

About 7 in our bodyshop and if you made a mistake

You just put it right thats how you learnt there

was no pressure now theres no time to teach anyone

and when we have had work experance kids come in few

Years back all they wanted to do is fight you or nick things

and are just not intrested now at work Its like a production

line just lashing cars up day in day out the thing is whos

going to work on cars when were dead or to old to work on

them With no one being trained its a shame realy for kids

who do want to Learn and want to get in the trade mind you

i wouldent Recomend it now.

[The Transplanter]

My 17 year old son has been trying to get a trainee/apprenticeship position as a mechanic (vehicle service technician is the correct term these days ) for over a year now ... he has applied for a dozen apprenticeships and not been successful (because he doesn't have the A-C grades required ) and he has contacted over 50 garages to see if they have any positions available but there is NOTHING

 

He has now done his first year at college and got his level 1 diploma and is now on his 2nd year to get level 2 but it's really disheartening Has the industry just died or is it just down here on the Surrey/Hampshire border ?

 

Yes the trade is dead in lots of respects, but then it was when I was looking for an apprenticeship in the early 80's I must have applied to 50 or more dealers and got the same response but eventually I lucked out and found an apprenticeship at a local Ford dealer And I only got this based on instructions from my brother in law who said, forget the letters, walk in ask to see the service manager and offer to work for FREE for a month so you could prove your worth!

 

I now run and own a small garage myself, but could not even commit the time to an apprentice as im flat out just trying to get through the work to make ends meet

 

Get your boy to ask around the MOT centres, as they often use teenagers to help the tester with MOTs, and its a good way to get your feet in the door My families MOT centre have been doing this for years, the wasters leave quickly, but at least half a dozen have served full apprenticeships with them

 

I live in Farnham myself so will keep my ear to the ground

[rallyesport04]

have you looked in some differant areas like trucks buses planthire cranes etc

[Mk2Jo]

Thanks guys ... there is some really helpful information in all of your replies

 

To answer some of the points .... he has tried cars/heavy goods vehicles/garden plant and machinery ... all types of industries that are slightly relevant to mechanics. He recently got turned down for an HGV apprenticeship 6 miles away (Petersfield) for repairing vehicles for Hampshire county council - he never even got to interview and was turned down at the first hurdle for not having A-C grades (regardless of his experience and level 1 diploma) and these companies say they will not even consider you if you turn up in person - you have to apply via the website/training provider!

 

The next step, I think, is to just drop his CV personally into the local garages (the MOT centre idea is a good one too thanks) although most of them he has already applied to via e-mail but not too many of them have replied

 

He will keep going If he gives up now it seems a waste of a year

 

Thanks again everyone, your advice and comments have all been very useful

[Billy_smith]

its not just the motor trade its any trade, a trainee or apprentice is just to expensive to take on for small firms now. and if they do take on a trainee the wages are simply not enough to survive in todays world. insurance college fees and licensing kills it.

 

i myself am a apprentice engineer for London underground and am in the final year of my scheme.i achieved c's and above in school in every topic and it took me four years to find this scheme (20 when i started!) and even when i found the position it took six months of recruiting!

 

My advice for your son is Jo look for schemes in bigger companies e.g non profitable goverment funded companies as they recieve goverment funding for such schemes.

 

Also try contacting Redwood. ask to speak to a man called Kevin Sowells h takes care of my aprenticeship and can offer great advice even down to writing your CV. He knows where and when to apply and really is a good geezer. His contact number is 0208 749 0853 and e-mail is Kevin.sowells@redwoodskills.com.

 

Drop him a line and he may be able to help.

 

You didnt hear it from me

[Mk2Jo]

CheeRS Bill