Motor Vehicle Studies at YEP
About the Course:
The Youth Motor Project focuses on encouraging and supporting young people to develop their employability skills, their interpersonal communication skills and to generally develop their confidence within a working environment.
About the Tutors:
I was one of the original founder members of YEP.
My role is to ensure that YEP works. From a broken chair leg to a computer that has gone blue screen over the years there are not many things I’ve not had a go at fixing or unblocking.I’m one of those guys that knows someone for something most of the time. I’ve spent many years within the motortrade and have covered most areas. I run the mechanics course with the help of Dan where we try to keep it as hands on as possible.
Outside of YEP I’m a BIG motor fan and have travelled all over Europe to watch it and take part as a mechanic of a number of different racing teams in a number of different formulas. I also have a passion for old Volkswagens.
In my garage, I’ve found that keeping groups small really helps my students.
Everyone gets to see what’s happening and actively participate in the tasks. This hands-on approach is a big strength of my teaching style. However, I’ve noticed that it can sometimes alienate students who learn better by listening rather than doing. For example, some learners are aural and prefer to understand how something works by being told, rather than by stripping it down or watching someone else. I also see that shyness can be a real barrier in this tactile environment. Some students lack confidence and worry about looking silly in front of their peers if they can’t complete a task.
That’s why it’s so important for me to vary the tasks to meet everyone’s needs and abilities. It really helps build their confidence and strengthen relationships within the group. I also make sure we have theory lessons, which some of my learners prefer as they grasp concepts more easily when they’re explained verbally.
In our theory lessons, we encourage students to discuss their previous day’s activities, focusing on any difficulties they encountered and why they struggled. These problems are then presented to the rest of the group, who are asked to brainstorm solutions to get to the answer.
