Programme Leader for Automotive and Bike Maintenance in London

Nick McKenzie is the programme leader for automotive and bicycle maintenance at Hammersmith and Fulham Council, for an adult education facility called the Macbeth Centre.

• Nick\’s fascination with how things work began in childhood, driven by a love of objects and a desire to understand their inner mechanisms, particularly evident in his interest in clocks. This inherent curiosity sparked his lifelong passion for mechanics.
• As the programme leader for automotive and bicycle maintenance, Nick\’s work at Hammersmith and Fulham Council\’s Macbeth Adult Education Centre involves a flexible schedule, encompassing teaching, workshop maintenance, course planning, student progress monitoring, and continuous professional development.
• Nick emphasises the importance of genuine passion for the subject, actively seeking opportunities, and gathering advice from professionals within and around the automotive industry.

What inspired Nick to get into being a motor mechanic was simply a love of objects. Things seemed to have a fascination, and it started at seven or eight years old when he would take things apart. The hands on a moving clock intrigued him, even though he couldn’t tell the time at this point. He wanted to know how things worked.

The Macbeth Adult Education Centre has areas of learning including woodwork, floristry, maths, and literacy. Nick’s working hours during the week tend to be 9 to 5 but even then, a degree of flexibility must be built in. His day starts around 8am and depending on the timetable, he may not leave the building before 9.30pm if there are evening classes. No two weeks are the same. The format might be the same, but the ingredients may vary greatly. One day could be teaching students and another day might be training for himself. Continuous Professional Development (CPD) is very much encouraged at the Macbeth Centre.

His main activities fall into three categories:

• Maintenance of the workshop and equipment within it.
• Liaising with colleagues regarding the future courses that will run.
• Ensuring that students are progressing towards a successful outcome and trying to signpost them toward future destinations.

Nick’s advice for young people when they are considering this type of work would be to be passionate about the subject and have a genuine interest about wanting to work with cars.

Tommy grew up in inner city London. He wanted a job where he was committed to giving young people a…

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