"I took an Apprenticeship and never looked back"

National Apprenticeship Week - James' Story.

One of our fabulous [M]enable Ambassadors, James Herbert, shares his story for National Apprenticeship Week.

School was a challenging time for me. For more on that, you can tune into the [M]enable Podcast where I go into it in a little bit of detail. I was left pretty much to my own devices, I didn’t have many friends so kept myself to myself. At lunchtimes, I’d managed to blag myself a “Home Pass” so I could get off school grounds and go for a walk to pass the time. I’d noticed that the “Cool Kids” were always treated with alternative opportunities because of their adverse behaviour towards the academic norm. You know the sort of thing, day trips to builders’ yards to learn bits of brick laying and such. Some of the more adept ICT bunch got to do courses in building computers, something I really enjoyed and would have put effort into, yet I was never offered the chance. This, coupled with my home, life led to a late rebellion. Why should I put everything into my schoolwork if I didn’t want to? Other people didn’t and they got treated better than the other guys did – at least this is how it seemed to me as a 15 year old.

When it came to my GCSE’s I didn’t enjoy them. I didn’t see the point. Science? When am I going to use that? Religious education? Why? I don’t believe in anything. I mean don’t get me wrong I’m not ignorant to the fact that it teaches tolerance of other people’s views and beliefs. I took in and absorbed what I needed to but when it came to an exam, No thanks!

Now, there were 2 subjects I did enjoy, Maths and Business Studies. Because I came from a household that was so short of money, even though my parent had money to give me to take a bus at a weekend to go and see a friend, (at that point it was 40p a trip) I still wasn’t getting it. I was forced to make money any which way I knew how. Usually selling various items on the school yard that weren’t easy to get hold of while at school. I won’t get into what these were. But hey, Supply and demand, right? I was born to do business studies.?

Although again, as an act of rebellion (slightly) I used to goof around in these classes too. My Business studies teacher decided that I didn’t have the right attitude to put the effort into the higher-level test. See there was an entry level (Maximum Grade C) and the normal test (with the normal A* level).?I had no idea that she had put me in for the lower test, which infuriated me considering my course work was graded as an A*. The school system, at least in my view, was broken. It’s like that old Chinese proverb with a monkey trying to teach a fish to climb a tree. You can’t teach everybody the same way because people have different skills in different areas that should be nurtured individually. So, at that point I made the decision not to bother with further classroom education. No College and definitely no crippling Uni Debt.?

The next problem was, what do I do? Get a job? Ok, Where? Doing what??

It’s at that point I found out about Apprenticeships. A way of being paid to do a job, while learning and being qualified. My 16-year-old self was like, “LOOPHOLE!!”. Next issue, an Apprenticeship in what? There were loads of options available to me through the local college. Bricklaying, Joinery, Plastering, Plumbing and of course, A mechanic.?

Now at the time I was really into Top gear and Two Pints of Lager and a packet of crisps, and idolised Gaz, a character from the show. So, I went with mechanic.?

I didn’t know what I was getting into, but I applied to every motor brand available to me. (I Also applied to the local college as a backup in case the dealers didn’t pan out). But I got my first interview at a Ford Dealership close to me, and I have to say, I nailed it! (well, clearly I did, 14 years later I’m still here).?

The scary thing when doing an apprenticeship is the fact that chances are you know nothing about the job your about to take on, but that’s ok! You learn the job as you go. No-one at your new home for the next few years expects you to know anything. It’s all taught to you as you go. And you get paid to do it! As a 16-year-old coming home with a wage every so often is great and opens doors in itself. You can start saving towards your first car, your first house, or maybe that new thing you’ve been saving up to buy. It just gives you more independence.?

After your apprenticeship, odds are you’ve landed yourself a job with the same company who’s just invested years of time and money into your education. Some of these qualifications that are gained through apprenticeships are the equivalent or higher to most college / university degrees. So, in a lot of ways, you end up in a much better position than most of these people who have spent years in a classroom and end up with thousands of pounds of debt, while you potentially have got thousands of pounds in your pocket!

I guess what I’m trying to say is, do what’s right for you, and not what other people say you should do. I took an apprenticeship at 16, and I’ve never looked back….?

James Herbert (Service Advisor – Lookers Ford CV, Sheffield).

If you've served an apprenticeship in Automotive and would like to share it, please get in touch [email protected]