‘I love the trade’
Nottingham man Satpal Singh is celebrating 30 years of training in the automotive industry.
Ted currently works as an automotive development coach at national training provider, Remit Training. He has worked for Remit for the past 10 years, travelling around the UK delivering vehicle body repair apprenticeships to young people working in the automotive sector.
Ted began his 30-year career in training in 1988 at the age of 28, employed by Nottingham based training provider, EMTEC. He delivered workshop and classroom teaching from the Nottingham training centre based on Linkmel Close in Nottingham. That role extended to Leicester and Derby as EMTEC grew during the 1990s.
As a school leaver Ted had embarked on an apprenticeship programme in panel beating, working for a local company, Hanger Motors, which was based on London Road in Nottingham.
He said, ‘I enjoyed my apprenticeship and remember thinking, this is a great way to learn. I am getting paid and getting the experience of a work environment while gaining a qualification. Apprenticeships weren’t as easily accessible back then and so I was proud to have got an apprenticeship with Hanger Motors.
‘After working at Hangers for several years, I was approached by a friend, who also worked in the industry, asking me if I’d be interested in a job training apprentices in body repair. I jumped at the chance as it felt like the perfect progression and I was excited to be able to share my knowledge with other young people coming into the industry like I did.’
In his time in the industry, he has seen significant change. He said, ‘I think the biggest change I have noticed over the last 30 years has to be the advances in technology, both in the motor industry and within the training sector. Everything has some sort of technical element to it now, including cars, and it has been a constant learning process for me too. As a trainer, it’s vital I keep my knowledge up to date with the latest industry standards and new technologies being introduced.
‘The use of things like electronic portfolios and online exam platforms has changed the training environment massively and has opened up so many new opportunities to make learning interactive and engaging for our learners. Don’t get me wrong, a pen and paper is sometimes the perfect tool for a job but technology has certainly given us much more flexibility and opportunities to train in many different ways.
‘Since I was an apprentice, there have been lots of changes in my life too. I married, brought up a family, bought a house and moved with a couple of training providers; but still, 30 years on, I can say that I still love the trade and find it extremely satisfying passing on my knowledge to the young people I train, knowing I am supporting them in their chosen careers.’
