Level 2 Traineeship in Vehicle Maintenance & Repair (Light Vehicle) student Matthew Milligan (16), from Belfast, is gaining the skills and experience he needs to start his dream job as a vehicle technician.
After completing his GCSEs at a grammar school, Matthew came to the realisation that pursuing education at school was not for him. From an early age, Matthew had always had an interest in mechanics, helping his dad fix cars and motorbikes – so he decided to pursue his passion instead of doing A-Levels.
After attending several open days at different colleges, Matthew was most impressed by SERC, especially in terms of the friendliness of the tutors and the well-equipped workshop facilities. He later enrolled on his current traineeship course at the college’s Newtownards Campus.
On his course, he says, “My favourite part of the course is the practical work, especially working on brakes. We also get to work on other parts of vehicles like tires, suspension and power steering. There's a theory side to the course as well which helps you understand what each part of the vehicle does and how the repairs and replacements you do in the workshop impact the vehicle you’re working on. Health and safety is a fundamental part of the course – learning about common workplace dangers and how to safely work on different car parts makes us even better at what we do. I find it all really interesting.
“There are countless toolboxes and equipment in the workshop for you to use. There are three car lifts in our workshop and around forty vehicles of various brands and models in the training garage behind the workshop, so there’s plenty of variety in the work you’re doing, which would be similar to the workplace.”
On his future plans, he comments, “I’ve always wanted to work in a dealership like BMW, especially as a master technician. BMW owns a broad range of different vehicles such as minis and motorbikes, and progressing to work on those would be an amazing opportunity to develop even more skills.”
Matthew concluded, “I’d recommend this course if you’re interested in working with cars. The tutors are really supportive and if you put in the effort they’ll give it back to you. Coming from a grammar school, I have found the learning environment really different at the college - I definitely prefer it to school because you have a lot more freedom and independence. Overall, it’s a great course with plenty of opportunities to progress and develop your skills.”
