Connor started an apprenticeship at M&E Accident Repair Centre, after making an impression on his tutors while doing a course at Leicester College. Recognising his talent he was asked if he would like to apply for an apprenticeship vacancy at M&E Accident Repair Centre.

“I was always interested in cars and explored various careers within a motor vehicle maintenance environment. I quickly realised mechanical engineering was not right for me but I really enjoyed seeing cars be customised and decided that this was the area I wanted to explore for my career; paint and refinishing was the perfect match.

“I have been working at M&E for the best part of a year and have learnt so much about my chosen industry and hope I will continue to grow in my career.

“In the future I am hoping to have a fleet of vintage cars that I repaint and bring back to life. Having my own business would be fantastic.”

Sim Yoxen Business Development Manager at M&E Accident Repair Centre said:

“As a business we realised we needed extra resources to complete jobs efficiently and being able to train an apprentice to our high standards is an extra bonus. We made the decision to approach Leicester College to help us find a competent apprentice to fill the position and ensure that we had a strong candidate that could grow with the business.

“As a business we were used to sending some of our workforce on courses at Leicester College to up skill but this was our first time looking into hiring an apprentice.

“Leicester College provided the best solution. We had Luke Walker (Trainer Assessor) who knows the motor vehicle industry and understood what we were looking for. This really helped make the process easy and helped us fill the vacancy quickly with the right candidate.

“Our aim is to train Connor up to being a fully qualified painter. Going forward we are considering further apprenticeship opportunities within the business including body repair and customer service.”

Find out more about apprenticeships here :https://leicestercollege.ac.uk/apprenticeships/