Mechanics qualifications gained using Haynes manuals

MOST MEN enjoy a good Haynes car manual, whether they really understand it or not, but a group of youngsters has used the workshop guides to achieve their first qualifications in car mechanics.

The first wave of the Haynes Mechanix scheme has seen a mixed gender youth club group, aged 15-25 and from Islington in London, use Haynes manuals along with guidance from experienced mentors to fix real problems on a real car.

The donor Volkswagen, known as Percy the Polo, was a theoretical MOT fail and needed replacement spark plugs, a brake fluid replacement and much more, to give the aspiring tinkerers a broad spectrum of challenges.

The pilot scheme, funded by Haynes Publishing, was designed to give the Prospex Youth Club members the Haynes ‘do it yourself’ spirit, teaching the participants practical skills that they can use in day-to-day life and equipping them with a useful qualification in car mechanics that they may not otherwise have access to or be able to fund themselves.

It was a raging success, with three additional members joining in the first week of seven, and no one leaving at all. Every participant also chose to carry on working on Percy during their allocated ‘rest week’.

Lucy, a participant, said of the training: “I’m hoping I can carry this on for a long, long time because it is something I enjoy. I’m keen to now learn how to fix other parts of a car.”

Haynes Publishing and London Youth are discussing extending the programme into other clubs within London Youth’s network, whether in the same format or possibly as another concept, like pedal bike maintenance.

J Haynes, Chairman of Haynes Publishing Group, added: “We are delighted that this project has proved to be such a success. The feedback from the youth club members has been phenomenal and it has been very rewarding to learn that some of the participants are now considering careers in car mechanics.”

By Press Association reporter