Time served mechanics

[crankedup5]

Over the past fifteen years or so I have noticed that a fair few new garage’s have opened serving the needs of classic car owners who prefer not to do the greasy work. As new cars have become more ‘electronic’ so time served mechanics have decided to remove themselves from ‘new car work’ and move into the classic car workshop.
Problem being that young apprentices may not be learning the old skills required to keep classics fully running, concentrating on the modern stuff only?

Recently it was highlighted that the industry is currently short of about 120,000 mechanics able to service/repair cars coming off the line. None of this seems to bode well for the industry atm, or am I
overly pessimistic?
Purely raised as a discussion topic.

[tapkaJohnD]

Is this part of the answer?
https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...

I can't have seen the thread at the time, as otherwise I would have encouraged the OP to find a college that taught a BTEC course in Vehicle Technology.
Since I retired as a doctor, I did such a two year course, and went on to get a BSc (Hons) degree in Motorsport Engineering.
Great fun, and I know that it allowed most of the twenty of so young men with whom I started (no women - boo!) to get jobs in the Motor Trade, or in Motorsport.

Just Google for "BTEC Vehicle Technology" to find if there is course near you.

John

[crankedup5]

Thanks for reply, but I didn’t make myself clear in my post. It’s not for me to consider a course as I was coming at it from the consumers pov. Sorry I was unclear.

[Sheepshanks]

crankedup5 said:

Recently it was highlighted that the industry is currently short of about 120,000 mechanics able to service/repair cars coming off the line. None of this seems to bode well for the industry atm, or am I
overly pessimistic?

I guess things will be changing as EVs increasingly gain adoption. There's still need to be suspension etc work, but rest of it will need someone who's more of an IT technician than a mechanic.

[crankedup5]

Sheepshanks said:

crankedup5 said:

Recently it was highlighted that the industry is currently short of about 120,000 mechanics able to service/repair cars coming off the line. None of this seems to bode well for the industry atm, or am I
overly pessimistic?

I guess things will be changing as EVs increasingly gain adoption. There's still need to be suspension etc work, but rest of it will need someone who's more of an IT technician than a mechanic.

Yup, a strange mix perhaps changing out ball joints and then hi tech sorting of an EV power plant.

[imagineifyeswill]

Ive been a mechanic now for 46 years and with all the new technology Im still learning things everday, but at the same time I know guys in there thirties who have now been almost twenty years in the motor trade who know nothing of the old technology I learnt as an apprentice and probably never will.

As guys my age retire or die off a lot of this knowledge is going to be lost especially in the North of Scotlannd where I am and other such like places where there is no real amount of restoration style businesses.

[Riley Blue]

crankedup5 said:

Problem being that young apprentices may not be learning the old skills required to keep classics fully running, concentrating on the modern stuff only?

This is what my local college currently offers, many of the skills taught could be transferred to maintaining older cars:

https://www.chesterfield.ac.uk/automotive-courses/

Then there's the Heritage Skills Academy at Bicester for the more specialist stuff:

https://www.heritageskillsacademy.co.uk

and the Oxford Universities Motorsport Foundation whose Riley races at Goodwood:
http://www.oumf.org

I think the opportunities are there for those who are genuinely keen to get elbow deep in oil and grease.