TRAINING DAYS

hen he started out in the automotive sector, Colin Denton might not have expected to become chief executive of such a well-established business as North London Garages GTA. But his enthusiasm has seen him turn around the once-troubled business and he continues to focus on growth and ensuring that a steady stream of vehicle technicians enter the industry. His passion has also put him on our TV screens as part of the new UKTV documentary series, Classic Car Garage, on its top factual channel, Yesterday.

How did your journey into the automotive sector begin?

I’ve had a fascination with cars ever since I was young. The secondary school I went to had a motor vehicle department and my teacher there, John Williams, was crazy about vehicles. He was head of my house, a brilliant teacher and my mentor for many years. So by the time I’d left school, I already had a GCE in Motor Vehicle Mechanics! While I was at college I also attended night school in preparation for my apprenticeship, which I eventually completed at University Motors, a British Leyland dealership.

How much did your apprenticeship teach you about the business?

They were the best four years of my life. I absolutely adored it and I’ve never laughed so much as I did then. We had about nine or 10 apprentices in one workshop and, while there was plenty of camaraderie and teamwork, we were all competitive and keen to be top dog. The experience really helped feed my passion for cars.

However, I got bored with mechanics and afterwards got into car sales, because I realised that I wanted to do something more than just being a mechanic. From a very young age – 15 or 16 – I’d wanted to get into training because a member of my family had trained with Rolls-Royce Bentley, then went on to train people to be mechanics for the local authority.

What route did your training journey take after your apprenticeship?

When I first started out, I was told that I would need at least 10 years’ experience because my teaching would come from what I’d learnt along the way. I worked in sales and mechanics, learning lessons and remembering the experiences. Along the way I set up a business with a technician I had trained with at University Motors, which was hard work, but very enjoyable. That experience taught me a lot of lessons, including the realisation that I was trained in one particular make of car – British Leyland. So when somebody brought in a Toyota, for example, it was a whole new learning curve.

I also went back to college to get a City & Guilds qualification and then a HND to bring me up to speed with modern cars. My breakthrough came at Skillnet Automotive Academy, where I worked my way up and was eventually put in charge of the apprentice programme. Over time, I increased the number of apprentices on my programme from 180 to 1,400 – it was the largest programme for apprenticeships in the country.

After a while, I joined another company that got sold and I found myself out of a job. After a few months sitting on the sofa, I got a call from North London Garages, who I’d known through previous work I’d done in the industry.

What was your original remit at North London Garages?

The business wasn’t in the best place when I arrived and had hit hard times. It was still operating the same way it had done 20 years before, and training – and everything else – had moved on. When I turned up, all the staff had disappeared because the business had run out of money. I had a meeting with the chief executive in December 2012 and he told me he had to retire due to ill health and wanted me to take over – with hardly any money.

I had to have a serious think about it – for about five minutes! But I agreed and my predecessor and I worked for a few months going through the accounts and everything else to prepare to turn the business around. We’re a community provider that works in

Light fantastic: North London Garages GTA now has over 100 apprentices the community, for the community. If we walked away, the kids there would have no motor vehicle training provision because no one wanted them. This was our chance to do something for them, and we continue to do that more than 50 years after the business was established.

How does the business compare now to when you took over?

We were delivering up to 10 courses in the automotive sector, but now the number is down to two. So we’ve lost the majority of them, but we’ve also seen a major change in the way the industry is structured. We’ve also seen a change in the values of young people when it comes to motor reuse, and there aren’t as many people tinkering with cars as there were back in my day.

We have about 100 apprentices on board now, which is more than we had in 2012, but we’re up against some big challenges. So many training places have closed down through lack of interest and/or funding. In London, for example, we’ve lost the ability to train anyone who wants to learn about bodywork – whether through college

“THE BUSINESS WASN’T IN THE BEST PLACE WHEN I ARRIVED AND HAD HIT HARD TIMES. IT WAS STILL OPERATING THE SAME WAY IT HAD DONE 20 YEARS B EFORE AND TRAINING HAD MOVED ON” or a garage – because all the places have shut down. There’s high demand from employers, but close to zero demand from younger people.

What’s the biggest lesson you’ve learnt from running the business?

Tolerance is one. I can tolerate many more things these days and I’m much calmer. Therefore I can listen and project what could potentially happen in the future. Another one is not to hark back to what you did 20 years ago, because teaching, training and assessment moves rapidly. I’m more open to change because it comes all the time and we need to embrace it. It’s also important to get others to see what you can see.

The green agenda is here, whether we like it or not, and how we embrace it is important. I never used to worry about saving the planet – I’m a city kid. But now I go on about it all the time! The use of fossil fuels is unsustainable and we need an alternative. I’m not sure it’s electric, but I may not be around long enough to see what the alternative is.

What are your goals for the future?

The plan is to continue with our apprenticeship programmes and grow the number of Level 2 and Level 3 apprentices. We’ve just had a very successful Ofsted inspection, which is reassuring because it means our apprentices are receiving the best possible training. I’d like to reach 170 apprentices and we have some exciting plans to help make that happen.

How did the IMI help with your ambition to run a training centre?

In the early 1990s, I made the biggest decision of my life: to get involved with training young people. I did another apprenticeship because it was going into an area I had no idea about or experience of, so I needed to learn. I spent quite a lot of time at the IMI between 1995 and 2000, and the people there were absolutely brilliant. They could see that you were new and they nurtured you. I had great external verifiers that came in and supported me, helped and gave me that encouragement that I needed to continue. That meant a lot to me.

The IMI’s Professional Register is an industry-wide database of professional individuals recognised for maintaining their knowledge, skills and competency. To find out more, go to www.imiregister.org.uk

For a full list of the IMI’s accreditations, which provide proof of current competence for an individual’s automotive abilities, go to www.theimi. org.uk/learn/accreditation

Battery electric vehicles might have grabbed their largest ever share of the UK new car market, but their long-term rival for the clean fuel crown is gaining ground. Do you have the skills to work on hydrogen-powered vehicles?

WORDS_ NEIL KENNETT