My Apprenticeship Story by Sophie Thompson

Puma engines, pizzas, parenthood and passing Maths!

I was initially introduced to the automotive industry when I was around 14 years old because I had a group of friends who used to fit Puma engines into old Ford Fiestas. My role was only to distribute the pizza, but seeing what goes on under the bonnet ignited my passion for working with cars. Here is #MyApprenticeshipStory.

When I left school in 2014 I went to college part time, but as I left half way through the academic year I had a choice of only 2 college courses, either Hair and Beauty or Motor Vehicles. I obviously chose to study Level 2 Motor Vehicle, due to my interest in the industry, and the rest is history as they say!

After taking a break to have my baby, I restarted my apprenticeship in 2020 with Jardine Motors Group.  I did well in science at school, because I really enjoyed it, and it’s helped me hugely throughout my apprenticeship. I did struggle slightly with Maths during my school years, and applying for Level 3 IMI qualification in Motor Vehicle Maintenance and Repair meant that I needed to pass my Maths GCSE. However, Jardine helped me to resit GCSE Maths and I did really well considering I hadn’t done Maths for 9 years! I’m really grateful that I was able to gain this qualification whilst doing my apprenticeship. 

On top of this, I do a mixture of online and face to face training at the academy, and through workplace assessments, which are carried out in my work setting. 

My advice for any apprentice is to enjoy yourself! Absorb as much knowledge as you possibly can from those around you, and don’t allow a mistake to put you down, mistakes will help you learn and develop and you’ll be sure not to make the same mistake again. As an apprentice I sometimes make mistakes, but I learn from them and don’t allow it to affect the quality of my work.