Classic Collective takes the training and advancement of young people really seriously. Everyone of our staff has been through either a mechanical or engineering apprenticeship scheme. Simply put, without them, none of us would be doing what we love.
How to apply
We aim to support an apprenticeship place in every academic year. We strive to build the business, so that as someone graduates they have a full time position within the company.
We work with Heritage Skills Academy. Their block release program, run from Bicester Heritage and Brooklands is first class. If you are interested in an apprenticeship then you need to apply to them directly. You will go through their online application and then, an interview process.
Commitment
A Classic Car Engineering Apprenticeship is a 3 year commitment to your education and a 5 year commitment to the business employing you. At the end of this you will be a well rounded classic car mechanic, trimmer or fabricator.
If you are a successful applicant we will commit to your education and personal advancement, but you must be ready to commit to our business. In any year we will have a place for either the Trim and Mechanical course. Like most other classic car businesses, get between 15 and 20 applicants a year.
You need to be motivated, interested and proactive to get a position. Over and above applying for the course you must be able to demonstrate that you are worthy of a place in our business.
Here are our top tips for showing us (or any other prospective employer) that you mean business.
- GET A JOB
Apply for a weekend or full time job (if you have finished your education for now) in a motor trade related business such as Halfords, local motor factors or push bike shop. Anything mechanically related, even if it is more sales based. The experience you will gain will be invaluable, it will show that you are prepared to stand on your own two feet and it will give you some money you have earnt for yourself.
- TOOLS
Start building up a small collection of hand tools, ask family at Christmas or birthdays, or earn some money from a weekend job to pay for them. You don’t have to spend thousands. If you look around on eBay you can buy quality tools second hand. A selection of 1/4 drive and 3/8 drive sockets, spanners, screwdriver set and plier set is a great start.
- READ
Read up on the history of cars by buying Motorsport magazine, Classic and Sports Car or Octane magazine. Know the different marques and an outline of the history of the motor car so when you walk into a business you can say something intelligent about the cars they are working on.
- BOOKS
Buy books on restoring/repairing mechanical objects.
- YOUTUBE
Start subscribing to related YouTube channels and treat videos as an opportunity to learn.
- LEARN TO FIX
You might not have the space or money for a complete car, but that does not mean that you can’t restore things at home cheaply. Get a knackered bike off eBay, strip it, rub down and paint the frame, rebuild the bearings/brakes etc. Photograph the process on your phone and start making it into a slide deck with writing to explain the process, see if you can sell it at the end so you have some money for the next project.
- HOME PROJECTS
There are loads of different skills in car restoration so look at projects you could do round the house, can you make a set of cushions for your folks sofa? If so, you can start the skills required for car upholstery.
- KITS
You can buy kits to make your own computer/alarm clock etc, or buy a cheap laptop off eBay and upgrade the ram/hard drive etc. Again document it with pictures and words on a slide deck you can email with your CV.
- SOLDERING
Soldering is a great thing to learn. You can buy a great iron for about 60 quid, lengths of wire etc online. It is a small skill that you will use almost everyday in a classic car workshop and it shows you can master a job that requires manual dexterity.
- RESEARCH
Make sure you have joined the companies social media streams and have read their websites thoroughly. Understand what they do, what the ethos of the business is. Think of questions to ask during your interview. Remember you want to join their team. Be interested in their business.
Push yourself
Document as much of the above as you can. Make up a slide deck to go with your CV, so when you send in an email we can see what you have been doing apart from school and sports.
Above all, push yourself forward and start taking responsibility for your own education and advancement. The more skills you can learn, the more useful you are to an employer and therefore the better your career will advance.