What confuses me the amount of so called professional car experts & restores
who still make a pigs ear of things & charge a fortune too, not sure where
they all trained, £200 will buy you a book on welding, a 2nd hand mig welder
& a scrap mini, teach yourself, another good book is Mini the guide to
restoration - by Lindsay Porter.

Steve.

Hi TJ

I attend Openshaw Campus - part of MANCAT in Manchester, and it really
is a good place to learn. We pay about £200 per year and the college
claim about £1000 from the Government whenever we submit an NVQ
Portfolio. As you can imagine, there is a great deal of pressure to
write and submit the portfolio. Those who struggle with it, or who
don't submit, or who just want to learn to restore cars are not
encouraged to return. Its simple business accounting.

Next year I hear they are dropping the C&G NVQ in favour of an IMI
course although they will allow those who have started, to complete.

Not sure what's happening to the Metal Body Restoration course. They
may be dropping that also.

MANCAT have also run a trim and interior finish course up to now, but I
understand it will run no more - although it is still offered on their
web site. Real pity that. Where do people learn to old skills of
vehicle retriming in the North West?

TurboJo must be the guy who posted all the piccys and words around your
resto, are you somewhere near Hull? I would like to thank you for
putting them up. They certainly inspired me when I first started. Gave
me loads of confidence to cut out the tin worm. You and a chap in
Canada who also took the trouble to share his ups and downs. It would
be a shame if we didn't see your completed Mini.

I guess the days of evening classes for car restorers may be numbered,
unless someone takes another look at the situation and instead of
counting to cost of everything, instead looks at its value.

Best wishes

Pedro

TurboJo wrote:

I'll definately finish my car fortunately my body work is fully restored,
the engine is in engine is in and all the mechanicals and electrics are
fitted and working. I have given it a test run around the workshop access
roads at college. I was planning to finish the trimming and any other
remaining work next year together with any items that are required for my
portfolio that I haven't yet carried out. If I don't pay the £950 for next
year all I will lose out on is an NCFE qualification in vehicle restoration.

As you stated the majority of us on the course just wanted to go and restore
a car at an evening class. The college turned it into an NCFE qualification
course halfway through the year before I joined and announced to the people
on the course that they would have to document what they were doing
.Presumably this was to get some funding which meant that we had to jump
through hoops by producing a portfolio etc. I decided that as I was
gathering evidence for the portfolio I may as well upload the photos to my
website.

I feel that the college Bishop Burton College (on the outskirts of Beverley
near Hull) is using the price hike to persuade us all to drop the course as
it isn't their core business and I think they have wanted to stop the course
for the last couple of years as we are seen to be taking up storage space
that could be better used for parking tractors. I don't fully understand the
price rise as another local college is still offering things like Model
Engineering, Basic car mainenance for ladies, Ceramics etc at a rate
comparable with last years fees at Bishop Burton.

The good thing about it all is that 2 minis will have been saved from the
breakers yard, the one at college and the one that was supposed to be an
engine donor.

Peter (TurboJo)

www.wannop.co.uk

Hi TJ

I attend Openshaw Campus - part of MANCAT in Manchester, and it really
is a good place to learn. We pay about £200 per year and the college
claim about £1000 from the Government whenever we submit an NVQ
Portfolio. As you can imagine, there is a great deal of pressure to
write and submit the portfolio. Those who struggle with it, or who
don't submit, or who just want to learn to restore cars are not
encouraged to return. Its simple business accounting.

Next year I hear they are dropping the C&G NVQ in favour of an IMI
course although they will allow those who have started, to complete.

Not sure what's happening to the Metal Body Restoration course. They
may be dropping that also.

MANCAT have also run a trim and interior finish course up to now, but I
understand it will run no more - although it is still offered on their
web site. Real pity that. Where do people learn to old skills of
vehicle retriming in the North West?

TurboJo must be the guy who posted all the piccys and words around your
resto, are you somewhere near Hull? I would like to thank you for
putting them up. They certainly inspired me when I first started. Gave
me loads of confidence to cut out the tin worm. You and a chap in
Canada who also took the trouble to share his ups and downs. It would
be a shame if we didn't see your completed Mini.

I guess the days of evening classes for car restorers may be numbered,
unless someone takes another look at the situation and instead of
counting to cost of everything, instead looks at its value.

Best wishes

Pedro

TurboJo wrote: