Third year apprentices Callum Roberts, who works in the Merthyr branch, and the Pontypridd-based pairing of Kai Gammon and Cameron Vincent will complete their End Point Assessments (EPA) in June and will hopefully then qualify in their respective disciplines. They will be following in the footsteps of 16 colleagues who have taken the same pathway and are still continuing their careers with Wales’ largest repair group.

Their training programme has included day release learning at Cardiff and Vale College, ongoing assessment in the workplace delivered by training provider Remit and day-to-day guidance from a dedicated iRG mentor who they are partnered with throughout their apprenticeship journey. All of this is supplemented by additional specialist training courses covering areas such as Electric Vehicles, Air Conditioning Handling and 4-Wheel Alignment and ADAS (Advanced Driver Assistance Systems).

Twenty-three-year-old apprentice painter Kai hasn’t looked back after being made redundant from a previous job preparing vehicles for sale for an online used car retailer.

“I had always wanted to work with cars originally as a mechanic but, after prepping vehicles, painting then seemed like a good route to take,” he said. “The training has been great – it's nice that you’re allowed to get on with things on a job but, if you run into problems or have a question, you can ask as everyone is always willing to help, advise and support you.

"It's rewarding to see the finished results - particularly on a big repair – so I want to continue painting, get a lot more confidence and experience under my belt and see where things take me.”

After a brief stint in hospitality, Cameron fulfilled his desire for a hands-on job when he landed a panel technician apprenticeship at iRG Pontypridd and the opportunity to combine work, education, an interest in cars and get paid whilst learning has brought rewards in more ways than one.

Cameron claimed gold in the Vehicle Body Repair category at Skills Competition Wales last year and he followed in the medal-winning success of  iRG Hereford colleague Ieuan Morris-Brown, who achieved the same honour in 2022 before going on to win the nationwide IMI Skills UK competition.

“Having the chance to learn new techniques and constantly develop my skills has been brilliant - no two days are ever the same and you’re always adapting,” explained Cameron, 19. “For anyone considering an apprenticeship in automotive repair, I would say ‘do it’ - you meet new people, learn new skills and gain the knowledge for what I hope will be a long and rewarding career.”

Like his fellow third year apprentices, Callum shares a love of cars and thought his best hope of working in the automotive industry would be as a mechanic until he found out about the opportunity to train as a panel technician.

“I think I've found my niche,” he said. “It can be quite therapeutic carrying out a repair and I enjoy those jobs where you have got to put your mind to the test to work things out. We have a great team at Merthyr and it’s a really nice environment to work in.”

Twenty-year-old Callum added: “For anyone considering an apprenticeship, I would say go for it. You’ve got nothing to lose and even if it doesn’t work out, you can always try something else.”

iRG currently employs nine other first and second year apprentices across its six sites not only in Panel and Paint but also Accounts and Commercial Administration.

“As a business, we are committed to training and apprenticeships,” said Kieran Nowland, iRG’s Compliance Director. “There are some fantastic opportunities for young people to join our industry and there are lots of avenues available whether it is a hands-on workshop position or an admin-based role.

“It is imperative that we continue to attract apprentices and new talent to safeguard not only the future of iRG but the industry as a whole,” he added. “We take a great deal of pride in watching the progression of our current crop of apprentices but those now developing successful and rewarding careers within the business.”

National Apprenticeship Week is the biggest week in the apprenticeships and skills calendar. The event celebrates the value, benefits and opportunity that apprenticeships bring with the Department of Education declaring this year’s theme as ‘Skills for Life’.