The very first AutoRaise Industry Showcase Event was a huge success - with over 150 young people attending the free open evening to scratch beneath the surface of accident repair under the watchful eye of some of the industry's top names.
Hosted by Rye Street Bishops Stortford, Volvo Cars, LV Insurance, 3M, Morelli, MIRKA, PPG, Akzo Nobel, Enterprise Rent-a-Car, Euro Car Parts, BMW, Audi and many more well-known companies were in attendance, meeting attendees and talking about Apprenticeship opportunities across the entire sector.
Young people (and their parents and teachers) were able to get up close and personal with some beautiful cars, including an Audi R8, BMW i8, the awesome Mercedes AMG GT, a stunning fully-restored VW Camper Van and muscle-bound 60’s Shelby Mustang.
There were also plenty of interactive demonstrations, competitions and activities for attendees to get stuck into, including hands-on panel beating, vehicle diagnostics and even spray-painting panels of Rye Street’s REAL Rally car.
Rye Street Group’s Managing Director, Bill Duffy, said: “This was a golden opportunity for local kids that they grasped with both hands. We were overwhelmed with the amount of youngsters that attended the event, as well as how enthusiastic they all were.”
“We’ve already begun the process of signing new Apprentices up, and will be putting other local vehicle repairers in touch with students thanks to the incredible level of interest which has been generated.”
AutoRaise organiser, Bob Linwood added: “This really was beyond our wildest dreams and gives us real confidence for future AutoRaise events to attract young people into the Vehicle Repair industry.”
