Jamie Try This
Starting in MotorsportThe name of the game in working towards your ideal is to keep being persistent and very flexible in what you're prepared to do to get there.Do not just focus on the key players or 'motorsport primes'. By reputation, they are very competitive to get involved with, and all of those mentioned are inundated with thousands of university and college students all trying to do the same as you. Look also at the Tier 1 and Tier 2 type companies, and details of many of these are available on the MIA website and also as exhibitors at the Autosport International Show. Also remember that Motorsport is not just cars there are karts, drag racers, motorcycles, boats and all the sub classes from Rally to F1 and BTCC.Also, do please send your CV to our Apprentice Co-ordinator Manager, Sue Young, on
syoung@ocvc.ac.uk, and she will do what she can to help you.In terms of your best routes to become an technician, well a good apprenticeship is the preferred route for an engineer, and ideally one that is specific to the Motorsports Industry. Employers will be looking for you to have very strong maths and physics to support this, as well as possibly work experience and practical engineering skills, from maintaining your mountain bike to getting your first car, together with a keen interest in Motorsport (not just watching on TV).Gain as much experience as you can in your spare time, attend events, work in a local engineering company, volunteer to be a Marshall at events. Some of this may be unpaid work but as you learn knew knowledge and collect skills from such opportunities you will be able to gain confidence and respect.To be a Technician, the industry-preferred route is through an apprenticeship programme which follows an engineering/manufacturing pathway, although specialisms can be gained in areas such as engine, composites, electrics/electronics, race car preparation, machining, modelmaking, race/rally technician and welding and fabrication. From here some company may wish you to progress to be a Higher Apprenticeship taking a Foundation Degree covering Higher Skills combined with a supervisory qualification as a team member. But at vocational level the main requirement is that you have hands-on core engineering skills and knowledge.The most sought after position by young people entering Motorsports is to be ‘On Team’ please remember that these positions are few and that for every technician on team there are approximately one hundred technicians working in the Motorsports industry making the parts that go into each competitors vehicle.The Motorsport Industry often prefers to take on apprentices with some of these core skills, so a route exists where you can study full time at college for one or two years, which gives you these core engineering skills as they are used in Motorsport, plus will accelerate you through the apprenticeship as joining the right course at college will alow you to gain almost one quarter of the requirements of an apprenticeship.In addition after a National Diploma at College you can move onto a Higher Education course which will allow you to reach engineer status where some Motorsport and mechanical engineering degrees are IMechE AccreditedWe can help point you in the direction of the most appropriate programme for you, should you wish to contact our teamEvers PearceMotorsport Development Manager
epearce@ocvc.ac.uk
Plus try Autosport Business directory for local companies to gain experience
http://www.autosport.com/directory/
