Andrew Avis, MIMI

As I was approaching mid-point in my apprenticeship and looking for my next career move beyond being a supervisor of a retail MT workshop I was fortunate enough to have a customer who was a full member of the IMI and discussed how they could assist me in gaining recognition beyond my apprenticeship, he persuaded me to join the IMI and register for the Management Certificate at the local college where he was the tutor.

As this was a seed change from being on the tools it was a challenge to move into a management mindset but took on the challenge and passed the certificate course a year later.

To try to improve my standing in the industry I attended the local branch Annual General Meeting and was asked to take on the role of the Student Graduate Secretary and organise the monthly presentations to members, another challenge that I took on board and with the assistance of some of my fellow student graduates and members managed a successful program for the next 2 years.

The engineering apprenticeship of the 60’s and the initial management training provided by the IMI set me off on a long and diverse career that continues to this day. Without this start I am sure I would not have had the confidence to take on the roles that followed and continually seek to improve on my knowledge and experience.

I regularly look back on my time in the motor industry with glee and regularly utilise the engineering and management skills that the IMI gave me in my work and everyday life. I may have moved on but still look back to my roots as being a member of a team in a workshop repairing customer cars, and hope to for many more years of memories to come.

As I started in the motor trade my first job of the day was sweeping out the workshop and collecting those washer holes that the senior engineers needed!!!! and looking up at the sign on the wall that said “we can deliver the impossible but miracles take a bit longer” a motto that has stayed with me throughout my career, I work miracles every day now but that comes with experience and stepping up to the challenge by taking on those jobs that others avoid.