Young people come to the Volvo Advanced Apprenticeship Programme from all sorts of backgrounds. As you’d expect, the experiences they have and the discoveries they make about themselves are both varied and revealing.
Here’s just one example of a student who has successfully completed our Service Technician course. Tim’s story is unusual in that he actually immigrated to this country to achieve his dreams, but many of the experiences he talks about are shared by other students on the course.
We hope his story inspires you and gives you a clear idea of the sort of challenges and opportunities you can expect to experience.
Tim Traher, Volvo Service Technician:
"I was born in England in 1983, but lived for 17 years in Zimbabwe. I hadn’t really thought about a career until I finished school. It was only then that I started to toy with the idea of becoming a mechanic, as I’d always enjoyed stripping our lawn mower and motorbike. At first, I looked for a job in Africa but there were no opportunities for school leavers like me. So, being English and having family over in England, I left Zimbabwe and came to Suffolk.
I knew it was going to be a struggle to get an apprentice job, but I really wanted to become a mechanic so I knuckled down and got on with it. Eventually, I got to hear about the Volvo Advanced Apprentice Programme and managed to secure a place with Cecil and Larter Volvo in Bury St Edmunds.
I was on the Programme for three years and the level of training I received was always at a high standard. The training officers are the most dedicated and enthusiastic people and put everything in to the programme. They will make sure that by the end of the course you all pass!!
Obviously, you have to do some work too. I won’t lie to you: there is a lot of hard work, time and effort involved, but it is well worth it for the qualifications you’ll receive at the end. It’s great fun as well. The training facility has its own workshop just for apprentices as well as up-to-date cars, engines, gearboxes, etc, to work on. It also has all the tools and equipment you will need.
For me, the apprenticeship programme and the time I spent on it was an experience I will never forget. I remember the first day not knowing anyone or anything and now, at the end, I know many new friends and a lot, lot more besides. It’s not all theory, and the trainers try and split classroom work and practical work evenly. Come to think of it, all the theory work was made interesting with the use of training videos and computer slide shows. Not to mention the way it was delivered and explained by the training officers.
The programme has team building events too. These can be anything from rally driving to go-karting. There is one event that sticks in my mind the most. It’s a weekend away at an outward bound camp. I remember that by the end we could have all slept for the next two weeks, but it was so much fun. I remember walking up and down hills and being chased by sheep!! We went caving and had to make our way around assault courses while tied up together at the feet. This taught me so much about team work and my personal boundaries.
Once you finish the Programme, you could stay as a qualified technician and go no further, or you can be like me and keep on going and learning. I achieved my Volvo level 3 and then went on to become a fully accredited Volvo Master Technician: it had always been my goal since I joined the programme.