Automotive apprentices from Telford College will be showcasing their skills at a major industry show next month.
They will be taking part in the new ‘College Zone’ at The Professional Recovery Tow Show, being held at Stoneleigh Park in Warwickshire on September 9 and 10.
The event has grown and developed into the largest trade show of its kind in the UK dedicated to the vehicle recovery industry.
The college is being supported by the team from NuAxle, which has launched a patented new vehicle support system to provide a safer, faster and more versatile alternative to traditional vehicle support methods.
It allows technicians to safely remove all wheels while maintaining excellent access to brakes, suspension components, bodywork and wheel arches.
NuAxle has donated a sample for students to use on campus, but will also be bringing a three-wheeled Indian Tuk-Tuk onto the college stand at the show for live vehicle demonstrations – allowing visitors to see exactly how quickly it can be fitted and removed.
Telford College automotive assessor Robert Adams said: “We’ll be using the Tuk-Tuk for interactive demonstrations – as well as a competition between the trade and our apprentices to see who can change a wheel and axle the fastest.
“This should be a great couple of days out for our students – a chance for them to be the stars of the show as a reward for their hard work – but also an opportunity for us as a college showcase how we are bringing on the next generation for the trade.
“It will raise awareness of the college’s apprenticeship programmes and how we can do more to help the recovery trade. A lot of recovery companies are now starting to open their own garages, or take on vehicle repair jobs, and that means they need a pipeline of qualified technicians. This is where we can help.
“Hopefully it’s an initiative where everybody wins – we get more of our technicians out in the trade, and the industry gets a helping hand to fill their big skills shortfall to keep new talent coming into the trade.
“Hopefully employers who have been on the fence before about going down the apprenticeships route, will get to see the benefits.”
Tow Show director Paul Gregory said: “It’s a struggle across the automotive industry as a whole at the moment to get enough of the youth coming through to be trained at an apprenticeship level.
“We’re planning a range of different activities for the students while they are with us, including a selection of talks, and a college demo area so they can get hands-on and get a taste of what the recovery industry is all about.”
