Heavy Vehicle Apprenticeship Offers Choice for Ciaran

A change of course and direction led a young apprentice to a career in heavy vehicle maintenance and he hasn’t looked back since.

Ciaran Brennan (21) from Drumaness followed his A Levels at St Colman’s with a course in Engineering but found the opportunity of an apprenticeship in Heavy Vehicle offered the best mix of work, learning hands-on and study to suit his ambitions, so he decided to change direction.

Ciaran said, “I have always been interested in Engineering and how things work.  This stemmed from my grandfather, Christopher, a retired mechanic.   He had a tremendous influence on me, and I have picked up so much knowledge and skills from him throughout my life.

He added, “I had considered the light vehicle apprenticeship, but felt that the heavy vehicle option would give me more choice and it meant I could work on either type of vehicle. I was delighted to secure a position with my current employer Torney Car & Commercial in Drumaness and to complete my studies with SERC.

Ciaran continued, “Learning on the job and in College suits me in that I am continually building on my knowledge. I like the variety of the apprenticeship as one day I could be working on a heavy vehicle and another day, working on a car.

Ciaran added, “I didn’t know too much about the College or what it offered before I did a bit of research into apprenticeships.   The facilities are brilliant – everything you need to learn is there, and I have found the lecturers approachable and knowledgeable.   They give one hundred percent and expect the same back and are encouraging.”

Speaking about the apprenticeship route, Ciaran said, “My plan is to progress to the next Level. If anyone is interested in the mix of hands-on and study, then I would say this is the best option and I would encourage anyone moving on from school to include apprenticeships in their research.”

Visit www.serc.ac.uk/NI-Apprenticeship-Week-2022 to unlock your future #BetterOffAtSERC.