GarnetFox

I had to quit uni due to illness, and now that I am getting better, I am thinking about what to do in the future.

After my A-Levels, I worked in call-centres and helpdesks, but they made me very ill through stress, so much so that the doctor has advised me not to work in such enviroments again. I decided to go to uni and learn something other that IT, so I could find a job in a different sector. Then that also went kaput!

I saw the advert fr MA's on tv and have sent off for info. I like cars and would love to learn more about them, so am going to see if there are any posts with mechanics in this area.

Has anyone done an MA on here (recently or otherwise) and would you recommend it?

Cheers

BOB.T

good luck and bttt

GarnetFox

Hehehe! Ta Annie!

Mo

How about a degree in Motorsport?

I'd have ripped their arm off if this was available when I left school.

GarnetFox

I'd like to earn as I learn really, where's that degree done anyway?

NotoriousREV

I started a modern apprenticeship back in November 97 (I was at the upper age limit to do one). The college found me a job with a small IT company basically moving boxes about. While I was doing th job, one afternoon a week my tutor would come and see me to make sure the company was training me and to set me assignments.

5 years later I'm the Technical Manager for an ISP. How much of it was down to the MA rather than me falling lucky is hard to say, but without the MA I'd probably still be doing telesales

Swift Nick

Our apprentice at work is doing a modern apprenticeship at Bridgewater vehicle college in Somerset, he spends approximately 5 weeks at the garage and then a week down in Bridgewater. This goes on for 3 years, the last year he gets to spend a week at a college in the USA to see how they do things.

The apprentices get to visit various manufacturers factories and other motoring related places.

He loves every minute of it and would definitely recommend it.

Nick

GarnetFox

Excellent!

I'm from Weston-super-Mare myself, just waiting to get the details through the post.

Anyone heard of a girl doing a mechanics MA, other than the girl on the ad?

rr_ww

Put Simply,

Don't do a MA in Car Mechanics. All you'll be is a gopher for the company which will pay you a seriously low wage, then probably f u off when you finish and take on another Apprentice. And you'll learn very little. Cos of all the go-phering. Waste of time.

Edit : Theres no point in complaining to ReMIT (Retail Motor Industry Training - Run the MA's) as there subsidised by the companies who have the placements so they're not going to kick up any fuss. god knows I tried enough times to get my Block release training changed to be more suitable!

Try and avoid the Motor Trade in general as its a a really crappy environment. Out of 100 or so Technicians I know (from various dealerships) hardly any are glad they did it! Myself included, and this includes people far older than myself (23)

As for the degree in Motorsports. Oxford Brookes Uni and Brooklands College are the 2 most oversubscribed. I know because I couldn't get a place on the former because I didn't have A levels just a BTEC Nat. Dip in Motor vehicle Studies, which IMO was more relevant than English,Maths and Physics A Levels. Ox Brookes used to run sponsership with Prodrive, Reynard, Arrows and Benetton. (how many of those still exist!) Also try Rycotewood College in Thame. Though dont expect to hear anything back from them as all they were interested during my "interview" is that i was close to the upper level of funding!!!! And as a result they MAY of lost the extra grants for younger students!!!! I was 21 at the time.

Messers
each and every one!!!!

All IMO (obviously)

Richard

edited I am very close friends with the girl who did a MA at my first garage. **** hot electrician, but gave it all up after 2 years. Personal reasons not victimisation or anything. Note that, you have to be able to hold your own though with regards to **** taking, which can get quite crude /visual/physical etc at times.



[Edited by rr_ww - 8/5/2002 8:49:50 PM]

catflap

Garnet Fox,

Best thing to do is to go and see the careers team at your local college, they will tell you the facts. I presume you know that you have to have finnished by the time you are 25 years old, therefore there are 2 funding brackets, >19 and <19, with the 1st one getting more money and therefore places for training. Your local college will probably run an MA Motor Vehicle course, but you need to be applying now as you need to do aptitude tests for it and find a day release placement before September. There will e people in the college who can help you a bit with this.
I presume you know that they can pay you as little as 45 quid a week? But some companies are much more generous!
People have very varied experiences of MA's but in my experience you will get out of it what you put in!
Go for it I say, you can always change direction if you find its not for you, but if you leave it another year to find out you should have tried it may be too late! They like you the younger the better!

Ali
Mrs Catflap
(Works in the local college careers team helping people get MA placements! heheh)

GarnetFox

Thanks for all the advice, I was expecting some conflicting opinions!

Basically I need to get trained in a different field as I can't stay in the one I was in. Very few companies want to train people, it's all 'experience required', no one will give the experience though! I'm used to working at McDonalds, and at the moment I am on £40 a week income support, so I'm used to no money.

Ali, I will pop over to the careers service soon. Thanks.