Despite there being high demand for good mechanics it is sometimes difficult to find an employer who wants to take on an apprentice. Here are some tips on how to secure an apprenticeship.

• Find your nearest mechanic course and contact the college that runs it to see if they have an apprenticeship scheme and how you apply for it. Most require you to apply direct to the college. It is worth speaking to someone at the college to see how high the demand is for the apprenticeship places . If you cannot be guaranteed a place then make sure you try some of the options below too – it is better to have two apprenticeship offers than none!
• As soon as you leave school try and get a summer job at a garage that you know takes on apprentices. Be willing to do anything from cleaning cars, making tea, sweeping up, emptying bins, tiding the mechanics bay, packing parts – whatever. If they won’t take on a summer employee on minimum wage ask for a Saturday job or say you’ll work Saturday mornings for free. Tell them you want to demonstrate how hard working, reliable and enthusiastic you are about doing an apprenticeship and you want to prove to them that you are the right candidate.
• Apply for an apprenticeship at large chains such as Kwik Fit & Halfords, take your CV in personally and hand it to the service manager personally.
• Spend a day visiting every local independent garage and car dealership in your area, ask to speak to the owner/service manager and ask if they do apprenticeships, if they do state you would like to be considered for the role and leave a copy of your CV. You will stand out from the crowd if you visit personally compared to the tens of CV’s that just come through the post.
• Think outside the box do you want to be a mechanic who works in the Army, Navy, RAF, Police, on helicopters, planes, trains or boats, do you specifically want to work on agricultural vehicles, construction vehicles or on machines, have you thought about breakdown services or taxi companies? There are many other options that you could research and apply for.