A group of budding mechanics in St Albans have built a kit car from scratch, which will now be entered into the Westfield kit car competition.
The pupils from Oaklands College were donated Mazda MX-5, which they subsequently took apart, refurbished the parts and reassembled in the form of a kit car. The project was an attempt to not only promote teamwork among the students but also to give them skills and insights into the work of a car mechanic.
For any of the college students who would consider pursuing a career in car mechanics, they will be required to obtain a road risks insurance policy, which will enable them to drive the cars they are working on to ensure they are performing correctly. Nevertheless, while garage bosses might struggle to add very young mechanics and apprentices to their motor trade insurance cover, the value of training up skilled staff from a young age ought not to be underestimated.
It took the St Albans students six months to build their kit car, the Herts Advertiser reported. They had donations from three local motor trade business: Gold Crest Motors, which supplied the wheels; R-Tec, which supplied the induction kit and steering wheel; and Bennetts Motor Factors, which supplied the engine parts.
Steven Hodges, director at Gold Crest, said of the project: “We are hoping to take on more apprentices in future, and we always want to work with local people as it is good to develop new staff who want to learn the trade.
“It looks like they have done a good job on the car.”
