Remit apprentice lands dream job working on supercars
Joseph Marquez, a Remit apprentice from North London, has landed himself his dream job working for one of the world’s most prestigious car manufacturers.
Pagani Automobile is an Italian manufacturer of some of the world’s most expensive supercars. The company was founded in 1992 and now sells its prestigious cars all over the world. With more than 20 dealerships in locations such as Japan, Germany, and Thailand, London is home to one of the company’s magnificent showrooms and workshops.
The London dealership was looking to take on a young person to put through a Motor Vehicle apprenticeship programme with Remit Training which is where Joseph’s story began. Joseph spotted the advert for an apprenticeship with Pagani and couldn’t apply quick enough.
Joseph had a love of cars from a very young age. He could often be found tinkering on his Dad’s TVR and still now has his head under the bonnet of friends cars to feed his interest and passion. Before he started with Pagani, he was working in an independent garage in London and had completed his Level 1 qualification in motor vehicle at his local college.
He planned to continue in the trade and dreamed of becoming a master technician. Joseph enjoyed his work at the independent garage but when he spotted the advert for an apprenticeship with Pagani in London, it was an opportunity he couldn’t miss.
“At first I thought it was a scam. My Dad thought so too, and I nearly didn’t follow it up as I just couldn’t believe it was real. I am so glad I did end up calling about it though as things could have been very different if I’d have just ignored it that day.”
Joseph contacted Remit Training which was handling the apprenticeship vacancy with Pagani, and he was invited for an interview. Joseph said: “I was so nervous about the interview; it didn’t seem real! This was such a huge opportunity for me and I really didn’t want to mess it up. This is what dreams are made of.”
The interview was a huge success and Joseph was soon offered the full-time apprenticeship with Pagani, starting with the dealership soon after.
Andrew Smith, Manager at Pagani said, “Joseph really impressed us at his interview. He was confident and really passionate about cars. You could tell this was something he really wanted and he would put 100% into his work. He seemed switched on and keen to develop himself and learn as much as he could, so it was an easy decision when we offered him the position.”
Joseph now works full time at Pagani and attends five, week-long training blocks per year at Re-mit’s national training academy. He spends time in academy workshops getting hands on experience working on vehicles. He then spends time in the classroom receiving the theoretical input to support the practical tasks he has learnt. Back at work Joseph gets on the job training every day. He has a mentor in the workshop, Dmitriy (known as Dmi), who he spends most of his time with working on the multi-million-pound supercars. Every day is different and he is constantly learning new skills.
“Working on these beautiful cars is like a dream come true. At first it was quite scary as I didn’t want to damage them but my mentor is brilliant and we have plenty of time to spend on each car so I get to learn a lot each day.
“I enjoy going to my training blocks in Leicester but at the same time, I am desperate to get back to work the following week. I just absolutely love it here.
“My family and friends are quite jealous of what I get to do, particularly my Dad as he absolutely loves supercars! He can’t believe that I get to work on them day in day out.”
In between his training blocks at Remit’s brand new Automotive Academy*, Joseph gets regular visits from Bob Burton, his Remit Apprentice Development Coach (ADC). Bob spends time observing and assessing Joseph’s learning and progress throughout his apprenticeship, and in between his training blocks.
Bob said, “When I found out I had a learner at Pagani, I was really excited for my first visit. It is an incredibly impressive place to work and Joseph really appreciates how well he has done to secure his apprenticeship here. All of his team are very supportive with his training and very welcoming when I visit. Joseph is doing really well so far and I’m looking forward to seeing him achieve his full potential.”
“I am so glad I applied to the advert I saw that day” added Joseph. I really couldn’t see myself going to full-time college to do my training. Doing an apprenticeship is like a win-win situation as you are learning but getting paid at the same time. Lots of my friends have gone to Uni and are building up loads of debt whereas I will gain my qualification, have no debt and will have been earning for three years.
“After I complete my apprenticeship with Remit I want to become a Master Technician. I may eventually decide to set up my own garage but at the moment I don’t think I ever want to stop working here.”