Second REALexperience set for Thursday

More than 100 pupils are expected to attend the second REALexperience evening on Thursday, 7 July, to be hosted by Rainbow Bodyshops Farnborough from 5 and 8pm.

The REALexperience, an initiative introduced by Bob Linwood of AutoRaise, is intended to encourage the next generation into the industry. Through his family’s charity REAL, the Ethan Rees Linwood Memorial Fund, Bob is pledging £10,000 to help AutoRaise Affiliated repairers engage with 14 to 16 year olds to address the acute skill shortage and start attracting young people in to the industry. This donation is offered under their REALexperience initiative.

The Rainbow Bodyshops/AutoRaise evening will include practical demonstrations on vehicle repair by its own technicians. Suppliers and product manufacturers are also invited to demonstrate their own products and services.

Rainbow Bodyshops has already engaged with a number of secondary schools in the area and says the response has been very encouraging. It hopes the evening will encourage pupils to pursue an apprenticeship at Rainbow Bodyshops.

The AutoRaise Apprenticeship Standard was recently signed off by government and is now the only Accident Repair Industry Apprenticeship that is recognised and that repairers will be able to receive government funding for.

For further details about how to take part in this free event, visit the ‘Events’ page at www.autoraise.org