Meet IMI Skills Competition Body Repair Bronze Medallist 2024, Owen Thomas from BP Rolls:
Competition experience so far:
"The competition has been a real eye-opener, and a good experience so far; both the venue and meeting the other competitors. The tasks were well put together - nothing really caught me out, but working under the time limits was a challenge on some of the tasks. I'm looking forward to taking part in the masterclass training and of course, head to the final to do my best and hopefully win a medal."
Career journey so far:
"I’ve always been interested in cars and vehicles generally, anything mechanical and tech-based. So it had always been an idea of mine to get involved in them eventually. Both of my brothers actually trained in mechanics so I had an idea what automotive is like, but I decided to try something different with body repair. In between this, I tried retail and did an electrician course at college, but starting the apprenticeship with BP Rolls was definitely the best decision for me."
Future aspirations:
"I want to go as far as I can in the competition and onto the world competition if I can. Also learn whatever I can, either new skills or do a higher qualification if that’s possible too."
Employer and manager comments:
Manager Andrew added “The Skills Competition has always been highly regarded and it’s nice to have one of our guys involved this year. As an apprentice, Owen has always shown a lot of talent so it’s even more important to keep feeding him the opportunities for training so he never gets complacent. He’s always been independent, getting on with his work and at college as well. It’s a great promotion for the company, and now we have a strategy as a group to develop our apprentice programme even further."
Advice for new apprentices:
As a manager, my advice is to really look into the job as the right career path for you. Know what you are going into beforehand by asking questions. Also follow your interests. Do it because you want to, not just because you’re expected to.
