From apprentices to mentors: M&B Performance helps new generation of technicians thrive

Speaking of his fascination for fixing things, M&B Performance Apprentice Harry shared:

“I’ve always been enthusiastic about fiddling with cars, taking things apart and putting them back together. This started at a very young age. I got my first motorbike at eight years old and enjoyed fixing parts on it. I still have motorbikes now, I’ve just got a new one.

“I grew up on my grandad’s farm where we were always tinkering and fixing things. It was a farm and campsite and I liked helping out. Also, my dad has always been into motor bikes, push bikes and cars so there was always stuff for me to fix when I was growing up.”

Classroom style studying was something that Harry felt didn’t suit him and so the opportunity of learning on the job whilst achieving an Apprenticeship qualification provided him with the perfect alternative.

“Apprenticeships are a good way to get a qualification,” he declared. “Personally, I can’t sit in a classroom five days a week so for me, it’s a way of working, learning, getting a qualification and getting a wage. It was an overall no brainer.

“Apprenticeships give you a look into what your career could be like, which is important as you’re going to be doing a job for a long time.

“My Apprenticeship is going to give me a qualification in something I enjoy. It also means I can earn money to get out and enjoy myself when I’m not at work or College. There are lots of benefits to an Apprenticeship.”

Prior to securing his apprenticeship at M&B Performance, Harry was out of work at the time, before being recommended by a friend to the two garage owners.

“The opportunity came through a friend in Malton who knew Jake and Cole,” he explained. “I was out of a job and so I went to M&B Performance to help out. They then offered me an apprenticeship and it’s been great.

“I found that if something came in broken or making a noise, seeing it fixed and seeing a happy customer inspired me.”

On being asked about his experience of working at M&B Performance and his relationship with Jake and Cole, Harry added:

“It’s really good working here, it’s so clean! It’s nice not being in a grubby environment like some garages can be. I like coming to work in an organised place, it lightens everything up.

“Jake and Cole are really good, the great thing is that they’re young themselves so they understand what it’s like to be in my position. They know what it’s like to be young and they can explain things better because they haven’t long left College themselves. I click with them really well, like I would my mates.”

Reflecting on what the first year of his Apprenticeship has taught him and the support he has received, Harry shared:

“I’ve learnt a lot about teamwork from working at M&B Performance. They treat me really well, they’re supportive and I feel like I’m part of the team.

“There have been jobs that I’ve found hard but, if I get stuck, I ask Jake or Cole and they’ll happily talk me through it. If I don’t understand something they’ll explain it, show me, then let me have a go. They’re great in that way.”

The motor repair shop, which is a popular choice for BMW vehicles, is no stranger to high-end cars. When asked about his ambitions of working on dream cars, Harry said:

“If I wanted to challenge myself, I’d like to work on a Lamborghini one day. If I wanted something easy though I’d say a Honda Jazz!

“We do see lots of nice cars coming in here. We get Bentleys and Aston Martins coming in. I’d love to work on one of these cars when they next need it and I’m a bit more experienced. We do get a lot of higher end cars, that’s why we like to keep the garage clean. If it looks like a scruffy place, you’re not going to want to leave your expensive car with us, you want it to be looked after which is what we go for.”

Looking ahead to his future, Harry hopes to progress through his Apprenticeship and to stay on at the business.

“I’d definitely like to stay at M&B Performance after I complete my apprenticeship,” he enthused. “Jake and Cole are looking to expand so, maybe in a few years’ time, we’ll have another apprentice and I’ll be teaching them!”

When we asked Harry what advice he’d give to others considering an Apprenticeship, without hesitation he said:

“Don’t even think about it, just do it!”

Reflecting on the impact his Motor Vehicle Technician Apprenticeship at York College had on him, M&B Performance Co-owner Jake admitted: “Without studying at York College I wouldn’t be where I am now, it’s that simple. It wouldn’t have led me to work at the places I did. That then gave me the ability to set up my own business with my business partner Cole.”

Speaking of the struggles he faced in obtaining an Apprenticeship at Harry’s age, he explained:

“It was hard when I was looking for an Apprenticeship, you couldn’t get one because every garage was full. I did a full-time Motor Vehicle course for a year and then, at 19, got an Apprenticeship. I had a boss who gave me a chance, like we have for Harry. The industry needs more independent businesses to take on an apprentice.”

On how his Apprenticeship journey inspired him to consider becoming a small business owner, Jake, now 30, said: “During my own Apprenticeship, I was being mentored by my boss and I thought, ‘I want that’. He inspired me. Some people are happy to just earn a wage, but I just liked everything about the industry, and I wanted to run a garage as well as doing the job.

“That support and one-on-one time I had for two years rubbed off on me big time and I can see that happening with us and Harry. He’s picking up traits that he didn’t have before and that’s how I can tell he’s definitely improved.

“There are only 5% of garage owners who are as young as us. We’re 30 now but set the business up at 27 and 28-years-old.

“From our year group at College there are eight of us who have now set up our own businesses, one is even now a tutor of the course. It must have been the golden year! I think we were the first to get an apprentice and I’d definitely take on another.”

On mentoring their first apprentice, M&B Performance co-owner Cole added: “Because he’s 19, he’s more mature and very willing to learn. We found the keenness and desire to progress very appealing in Harry.

“Because we’re a lot younger than most employers, we see it as a strength because we can relate to him. When I was an apprentice, everyone was a lot older and it was a lot stricter and that’s definitely helped us with mentoring Harry.

“We try to make sure it’s a nice place to work and that it has good vibes. The work needs to be done, but we also want it to be a nice environment.

“The environment you’re learning in makes a big impact. If you’re in a relaxed setting you’re going to achieve more. Harry’s Apprenticeship is shaping him up to be a good tradesman.”

Jake, meanwhile, added: “It’s good mentoring Harry, I’ve had apprentices in the past at other places I’ve worked at but it’s different when you’re the one who is ultimately responsible.

“Cole and I have tried to make the business the way we want it, so we didn’t want someone coming in trying to change things. We can mould Harry into exactly what we need him to be and it’s going really well.

“Sometimes apprentices in general have had a hard time in the past, but we don’t want to discourage Harry. We try to make him feel like he’s not an apprentice as much as we can.”

Both Jake and Cole confess that at the time they were introduced to Harry – during their third year of business – they were not really considering taking on an apprentice but are pleased they took the plunge now. 

“We weren’t even looking for an apprentice when we met Harry,” Jake recalled. “He was out of work and a friend of his asked if we could help. We thought he could maybe clean up and help out in the workshop but, when he arrived, he told us he’d worked in a garage before. That got us thinking and, when he did a couple of little jobs for us, he just looked like he was a bit of a natural.”

Remembering what it was like being young and looking for his first foot in the door, Cole added: “We saw a chance to help out a younger lad and we knew from our own experience what an Apprenticeship can do for you.

“So, after meeting Harry and being impressed, we thought we should take the opportunity to recruit our first apprentice.”

Despite Harry only being in the first year of his two-year Apprenticeship, he has already shown great progress with Jake citing a real stand-out moment.

“Harry did an engine swap pretty much on his own, supervised by me,” he said. “I thought this is a pretty big job for someone in their first year, I’ve known mechanics who have been in the trade 10 years and they’ve never swapped an engine.

“That was a pretty impressive moment, and it amazed me that he’d remembered what to do. Swapping an engine is like heart surgery to us!”

Both Jake and Cole explained the huge benefits that taking on Harry has brought to their business and they are hoping that he will want to continue working with M&B Performance at the end of his apprenticeship.

“It’s benefitted our business a lot,” Cole pointed out. “Harry helps ease the pressure and, the more he learns, the more it allows us to get away to do some business and admin tasks.

“We’re hoping that after he’s finished his apprenticeship, he’ll want to stay.”

Jake added: “We want to be in a position where either Cole or I can come out of the workshop to work more on the business side. To do this we may need to take on another full-time employee.

“Even if we did this though, we wouldn’t say to Harry that he’d have to step back, even if this person was older. The goal with Harry is to have him running the workshop because he’s been here from the start. This is something that I found difficult as an apprentice, I felt like I kept getting pushed to the bottom and it made me feel like I wouldn’t progress.

“Taking on an apprentice is a no brainer. You can mould an apprentice into what your business needs.

“Once an apprentice starts doing jobs, they’re earning you good money as a business. We pay Harry more than what we are required to because we think he’s worthy of it.”