Simon Duval-Smith Talked to Liam About His Decision to Choose an Apprenticeship Over University

21 year-old Liam Fahy might be described as a poster boy for the philosophy of our apprenticeship schemes. He went through school and won a place at Portsmouth University to study Graphic Design but took up an apprenticeship at DK Engineering, changing to what he says is a chance to acquire and refine solid and transferable skills.

“I’ve always been into mechanical things such as classic cars from a young age. I thought university was for me but then when I was 18, my cousin let me have a go in his Ford Anglia, it was so much fun that I went out and found myself an MGB GT,” he says, adding, “I looked around for an apprenticeship but could not find one near my family home in Berkhampstead. Then I saw an ad on the .gov website from DK and applied for the apprenticeship through EMTEC, a scheme supported by the Guild.”

Liam was soon hooked on the cars at DK

Liam started his apprenticeship in the spring of 2016 and it did not take long for him to be ‘hooked’ on the cars at DK.

“When I first heard a Ferrari V-12 engine start up, I knew I had made the right choice. I find every day more of an adventure and a privilege than a job. My favourite part is the rebuilding of a car, when all the parts come together at the end of a restoration or rebuild.”

His first job was challenging, but rewarding

Liam’s first job at DK might have put some apprentices off: he was tasked with rebuilding the original wiring loom of a 250LM.

“It was a daunting task, a bit of a baptism of fire or perhaps spaghetti being an Italian wiring loom but very rewarding,” he says.

Like many of our apprentices, Liam is doing block release study and every seventh week he attends sessions at the EMTEC college in Nottingham, where students concentrate on a different system or part of a classic car at each block of study.

“A lot of the teachers have classics, we often work on those and recently I’ve been rebuilding an MGC engine for one of my tutors.”

Liam is happy with his decision to take the Apprenticeship route

Liam sums up what our founder Michael Scott has often said about university education not being suited to everyone and in the present employment climate, not being any guarantee of employment:

“I’m very glad I chose this apprenticeship, I am very fortunate to get paid to learn something that I find rewarding and I am gaining a solid set of skills – skills that are very transferable and much in demand at present. You cannot always say that of a degree qualification.”