Training Support Steers Gethin On The Road To Success

Twenty-year-old vehicle technician Gethin Evans is on the road to a promising career as a heavy vehicle technician after completing a Modern Apprenticeship with lifelong learning organisation ELWa a year ahead of schedule.

Gethin, of Colbren, near Neath, works for Long’s Coaches in Abercrave, a company that is reaping the rewards of its commitment to staff training and development.

After completing a basic mechanical course at Coleg Powys, Gethin went on to specialise in heavy vehicles at Coleg Glanhafren, near Cardiff and began an apprenticeship with Long’s Coaches with support from Powys Training’s Ystradgynlais Training Centre and ELWa.

He went on to complete his Modern Apprenticeship framework a year ahead of schedule by achieving an NVQ level 3 in Heavy Vehicle Maintenance and Repair.

Long’s Coaches manager Gareth Evans describes Gethin, who has worked for the company for two years, as a key member of staff and has lined up further specialist training on ABS brakes and speed limiter testing.

“Testing coaches today involves quite complex technology and Gethin seems to home in very quickly on anything to do with IT,” he said. “Without him, we would have to spend thousands of pounds sending vehicles to have their speed limiters tested elsewhere.

“Although Gethin’s specialist training has cost the company a lot of money, it has been well worth the investment. He is currently training to become our youngest qualified PSV driver. Training to a company like ours is absolutely vital.”

Gethin said he enjoyed working with new technology to diagnose faults and check the safety of vehicles. “We have to ensure that everything is safety critical and computers now play an important role in our work,” he added.

“I love my work and I’m lucky to work for a company that recognises the value of training and investing in new technology. There is no other trade that I would rather be in.”

Anne Harries, a training officer with Powys Training in Ystradgynlais, said Gethin’s confidence and skills had grown through training. “He is a conscientious young man and a valuable asset to his employers, who are keen to nurture his skills,” she added.

Modern Apprenticeships provide people with an opportunity to work and learn at the same time. There are more than 90 different MA courses in Wales that provide a pathway to employment.

Gethin says: “There is no other trade that I would rather be in.”