Joseph Oldham - Snows Motor Group

Joseph’s Apprenticeship Story

I work for Snows Motor Group Toyota in Chichester as a Service Advisor, I started with the team in June 2021. My everyday work life consists of greeting customers into the dealership discussing the work we are doing on their car, make sure the work gets carried out in time for the customer, making sure the customer is aware of any additional work (I get targeted on up sale) and generally make sure that their car gets the best service as well as the customer.

When I was younger my dad used to be a mechanic so I spent a lot of time with him in the garage watching and learning, as well as going to car shows and watching Motor sports, so my passion for cars came from a very young age. When I went to college I studied motor vehicle mechanics and automotive studies to further improve my knowledge and love for the motor industry. When I finished college I worked as a tech for an independent garage and I enjoyed my time there but I didn’t get the help I needed and did struggle, so when I saw the advert for this job I took it in a heart beat, to be able to work with a world leading manufacturer, and a well established organisation, would be massively beneficial for my career.

Since joining Snows Group I have enjoyed every moment. The customer aspect is very special, building that relationship with them is important because getting your car serviced or MOT can be daunting for some people. With the customer skills I have gained in this job I can use outside of work its been a massive confidence boost. Other things in my journey so far is that I’m also a trained first aider, which Snows enrolled me on and paid for, regardless on the likelihood of me needing to use this its very good to know because anything can happen.

This apprenticeship has had a significant impact on my career, it allowed simple access into an industry I’m passionate about, and compared to when I was a tech I now have plenty of resources and people to help me and guide me through the learning journey. LSP have done an amazing job and my tutor Lucky has done an exceptional job informing me on what I have to do next, what I could do better and has answered any questions I have. It is a pain free and simple process so far and I’m enjoying it, I especially enjoyed winning apprentice of the month as well (even made it on to the Snows Toyota Facebook page)

With apprenticeships I find that you have nothing to lose but everything to gain, you cant go wrong they are a brilliant opportunity into a career you enjoy, a massive benefit is the “earn while you learn” but its not just that, once you qualify you are already familiar with the site you work on and how it operates so you can go straight in and use the valuable training you have been doing over the course of the apprenticeship. So in a sense all your hard work pays off. If someone was unsure of doing an apprenticeship or not I would definitely suggest they did, there are tons of opportunities out there for someone to develop a real passion and love for.

I strongly agree that employers should push for apprenticeships, for someone like me I’m still young and can bring new ideas to the team and as I’m new to the industry I’m more impressionable so its a very good way to develop a talented, skilled, and professional workforce. Most apprentices are eager to learn and you can adapt their training to be part of their position in the business. Other benefits are, lower recruitment costs and a much improved staff retentions, you are very much investing in the businesses future.

This apprenticeship so far has been an absolute blast, Its allowed me to enter this Automotive world I dreamed of being in when I was kid so that in itself has helped me achieve a massive goal. More personal goals like better time keeping and being more organised, being able to solve difficult situations have definitely come into play and these are important life skills that I will use all the time. It has also taught me skills and lots of useful knowledge I can use to my advantage in my job, so far I am on track to achieve all my career goals and its very exciting.

A massive thank you to LSP, as well as Lucky himself, you have all been super helpful and appreciate all the help I have received, and thank you for taking the time to read my story.