VIEWING WINDOW
A candid glimpse into the mind of a vehicle technician
What was your first job? When I left school, I was part of the government’s youth training scheme and I started training as a commercial vehicle technician for a Ford main agent. I did my first year on lorries and when the scheme came to an end I moved onto an independent garage where I completed my apprenticeship as a car mechanic. I actually spent 17 years there, ending up as the service manager. I had a great time working as a trainee and working through all of the different types of vehicles. It was sad to leave in the end, they were like family but I eventually moved into teaching.
What was on your last job sheet? I teach a class of level four master technicians and we do advanced vehicle technologies so last night, for example, we were doing advanced vehicle body and we
Graham Stoakes, author and trainer WITH a long history working in an independent garage, Graham now teaches motor vehicle technology at Highbury College in Portsmouth. He’s a renowned author too, with ten books and three CD ROMS to his name so far, covering a range of vehicle technology topics from levels one to four.
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