Well Done Cat

Derby College has officially recognised the hard work and dedication of students and staff at the 10th annual Peak Awards event held at The Roundhouse vocational campus.

Catherine receives her award from Graham Schumacher of Rolls-Royce plc.  Photo courtesy of Derby College

More than 70 students and staff were presented with awards at the glittering ceremony which was organised as the climax of the annual College’s festival to showcase the talents of students across all campuses.
 

Among the winners was motor vehicle apprentice Catherine Treanor (19) from Duffield who won the Manufacturing and Engineering Apprenticeship award in recognition of her achievements and her work to raise the profile of the industry amongst young women.

Catherine at work at Station Garage Belper

Catherine has done presentations to school pupils and as part of International Women’s Day and has also recently returned from Germany where she spent two weeks working for a VQ Audi dealership in Gera as part of a work exchange programme involving Derby College and other European learning providers. Catherine, who is an apprentice at Good Garage Scheme member garage, Station Garage in Belper – attending Derby College on day release – was chosen for the exchange because of her work ethic and willingness to learn German.

She said: “It was an amazing experience and has definitely given me a taste for working abroad.

I was really honoured to be chosen for this exchange and took this opportunity very seriously – working hard to learn as much German as I could and getting the most out of the whole experience.”

Catherine has continued to educate women about how to look after their cars during a recent Ladies' Evening at Station Garage Belper where over 40 ladies attended and were shown how to check the oil and what is not included during an MOT inspection.

The Good Garage Scheme would like to thank Derby College for permission to post this blog.

Ladies Evening at Station Garage Belper

Good Garage Scheme member garage, Station Garage (Belper), held a Ladies Evening on 10th July 2013. Local businesses such as hair salons and beauty salons also helped to promote the evening with leaflets and advertising.

Around 40 ladies attended on the evening and were advised about checking levels underneath the bonnet by Catherine (Cat) Treaner, 3rd Year apprentice at Station Garage. Attendees were also given the opportunity to check oil levels for themselves.

The ladies were also shown an oil and filter change by Good Garage Scheme representative, Chris Poynton, who explained how quickly new oil is contaminated if the engine is not flushed first, demonstrating with samples of oil from a car in the workshop.

Jason Curzon of Station Garage explained what is checked during an MOT and more importantly, what is not checked. He explained that an MOT is not a service and that many people believe that having an MOT is all that is required.

Some of the ladies who attended commented that is was a very enjoyable evening and said they would be interested in coming along to another event later in the year for advice about making sure their cars are prepared for the winter months on the road.

As well as all of the advice and demonstrations given on the night, Station Garage Belper also managed to raise money to support their chosen charity, Action -medical research for children, with all proceeds from refreshments sold on the evening going to the charity.

For more information about Action, visit www.action.org.uk.

Well done to the team at Station Garage Belper and everyone who made the Ladies Evening such a successful event.

Congratulations to Empire Garages

Good Garage Scheme member Empire Garages in Enfield have had reason to celebrate.

The team at Empire Garages recently attended the Federation of Small Business Awards Ball at the Connaught Hotel in London as award finalists.

The Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) has 200,000 members and is the largest business organisation in the UK.  Boris Johnson's Deputy Mayor of London, Kit Malthouse, gave an inaugural speech and presented the awards. The gathering included political and business leaders and the category finalists.

Empire Garages' entry was scrutinised by a panel of ten judges and they were short-listed to the top six in the Customer Service Excellence Category. On the night Empire was awarded the winners' trophy.  A team of ten colleagues were present and the table was given a bottle of champagne to pop open and celebrate the night.

Team Empire kindly phoned the Good Garage Scheme's marketing manager the next day with the great news and thanked everyone for the support which they say has helped to achieve the award.

Ajay Gokani, owner of Empire Garages, said, "The feedback received from Good Garage Scheme customers really helps keep the team motivated."
 
Well done and many congratulations to Ajay and Team Empire!

Good Garage Scheme Member in BBC Programme

Ajay Gokani, owner Empire Garages

Empire Garages in Enfield, Middlesex has been involved in an episode of the current series, "Don't Get Done, Get Dom" which is due to air on BBC One on 3rd May at 11am.
Don't worry if you are unable to watch it on Friday - the programme will be available to view on BBC iPlayer.

Ajay Gokani, owner of Empire Garages, was approached by the BBC's research team and participated in two hours of filming. As the programme investigated a garage that did not treat a customer fairly, Ajay was on hand to offer advice to viewers on how to best to protect themselves.

Ajay commented, "After the two hours filming, there was a worry that the final version may have only been sensationalist, so it was good that the editors kept a few very important messages to consumers in the brief, edited version:

• Regular servicing is very important
• Use review websites to make educated choices about the garage you use
• Ask what is included in a service. The word 'service' should have a defined structure such as a service schedule

All of these are important messages that have always been endorsed by the Good Garage Scheme."

Even more good news for Empire

Not only are they stars on the television, they have also been shortlisted for the Motor Trader Industry Awards for 2013 and are now in the running for the "Independent Garage of the Year Award". We are not surprised that the Industry has recognised Empire to be one of the best garages in the UK and wish them all the best in the competition. Congratulations Empire!

Good Garage Scheme Members at Dakar Rally

A father and son team of mechanics from Good Garage Scheme member garage, The Old Forge Garage in Leadenham gave up their jobs for a month in January 2013 to be part of a race team involved in the legendary Dakar Rally.

Phil Bayliss, Nasser Al Attiyah and Chris Bayliss

Phillip Bayliss and his father Chris spent four weeks in South America with the Race2Recovery team, mainly made up of injured and limbless servicemen and women. Phil and Chris who run The Old Forge Garage in Leadenham, are Land Rover specialists and have grown up off-road racing their 4x4s around the country for 20 years. A friend recommended them when another mechanic dropped out and they enjoyed the exciting trip of a lifetime.

Phil said: “We watched the event on TV for years and it was our dream to race in it ourselves, but to help a team out there was brilliant.”

One of the vehicles that Phil and Chris serviced during the rally

Phil also said it was a privilege to be part of the team and admired the way the injured teammates just got on with things, despite suffering from sores where sand affected artificial limbs. The Race2Recovery team were the first disabled team to finish the rally and received a special message of congratulations from the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge for their efforts.
 
The 15-day route, which took place in January of this year started in Lima, Peru, through Argentina to Santiago, Chile. It covered 9,000km over extreme mountain and desert terrain and the support teams needed to drive ahead to meet the competitors at the end of each stage, working through the night. Not only were they coping with lack of sleep, they also suffered the effects of altitude sickness as they drove up to heights of 4,800m over the Andes.

The Bowler Wildcats took a lot of punishment and one vehicle was written off when it hit a ditch at 60mph putting the occupants in hospital.


The team's efforts aim to support Tedworth House Personnel Recovery Centre.  For more information or to make a donation, please visit: www.race2recovery.com

Prima Magazine offers Car Advice

The March issue of Prima magazine features a spread offering readers car advice including caring for your car, buying a car and getting a good deal at a garage.

The Good Garage Scheme's Code of Conduct and feedback system are given particular mention and Good Garage Scheme member garage, Caroline's Cars in Norwich offers advice to those worried about finding a garage.
"Personal recommendation is the best way to find a garage," says owner and mechanic Caroline Lake  of Caroline's Cars in Norwich.

Read more advice from Caroline in the feature written by motoring journalist,  Maria McCarthy.

Female-friendly garage recruits female apprentice

MECA Car Services, a Good Garage Scheme member based in Exeter, Devon, have recruited a new apprentice, helping support their position as a female-friendly garage in their area of the south-west of England. 

Penny Brown with Jennifer Riach, owner of Meca Car Services  (photo - Meca Car Services)

Penny Brown, new apprentice and mum of three, was keen to combine her interest in the motor industry with her wish to develop new skills after time spent raising her young children. Thanks to MECA Car Services, Penny is now developing her skills by both college training and practical experience in the workshop. 

In what is still a male-dominated occupation, Penny is keen to help disprove outdated stereotypes, advising: "If anyone wants to do something like this they should definitely go for it because I'm really enjoying it."

Jennifer Riach, the owner at MECA Car Services, on making her selection during her recruitment of a new apprentice, said of Penny: 

“She is slightly older than the other candidates, and because she has done the family thing first she has that life experience, and her more mature approach to the job has convinced me my decision was the right one.”

She added: "It's heartbreaking when you hear about apprentices who have signed up to start their training and can't find a placement, so the college is the best place to see who is available.”

The team at Meca Car Services   (photo - Meca Car Services)

Generous support had been given through the process by both the National Apprenticeship Service and Exeter College and Jennifer hopes other businesses follow suit in helping young people into work.

To read the full article, from the Exeter Express and Echo, please see here.