Budding young Bermudian mechanics will be able to get their first taste of working on a car when HWP exhibits at the 2007 Careers Fair next week.

For the car and motorcycle dealer will be giving hands-on demonstrations to students and potential future apprentices at the fair held at Bermuda College on October 11 and October 12.

It is part of the ACE Foundation's Career Paths initiative launched in February 2005 in partnership with the Ministry of Education, Sports and Recreation.

HWP's qualified mechanics will use the college's technical centre facilities to showcase a number of demonstrations including a fully functional vehicle for on site, student-participatory demonstrations with real-time diagnostic and troubleshooting assessments of vehicle systems.

Students will also have the chance to watch an airbag being deployed to learn what happens when a vehicle is involved in an accident and laptops will be available for them to test their knowledge of mechanics through Honda University's online courses.

Fernando Oliveira, assistant vice-president of after sales and new product development at HWP, said the company has been exhibiting for the past two years and the take up from students and interested parties has been promising so far.

"It was a great turnout last year," he said. "We have got two apprentices this year and one of the two came from the Careers Fair and a third one just came in and he heard about the apprenticeship scheme through the College and Careers Fair, so it is a good off-shoot for finding new apprentices.

"The calibre of apprentices is quite good this year and people like the National Training Board, Bermuda College and Bermuda Careers are all sending people to us."

HWP's apprentices are sent off to learn their trade at New England Tech in the US and they work on stripping down cars to the bare bones in the summer and Christmas holidays. In fact, anyone wanting to join the scheme has to have graduated from high school and is assessed by the company's technical trainer Lenny Henderson.

One such student to have benefited from HWP's scheme is first year apprentice Zico Hewey, who has been with the company for six months and is currently attending New England Tech.

"This summer we will have nine confirmed students on our graduate programme with New England Tech and when they are not away studying they work here in the summers and Christmas," said Mr. Oliveira.

"The main thing is that we take vehicles that are going to the dump and we tell the apprentices to strip them down until there is nothing left but sheet metal when they are done, and they study all the manuals and books and do the courses, so they know what is behind all the panels and it gives them a full accomplishment.

"We actually give the apprentices here raises based on performances and we like to make it fun and if they do well we will give them a gift as a reward for their efforts.

"They all come down and participate at the Careers Fair and they like the fact that other students are aspiring to be them basically."

But, it is not just mechanics that HWP is aiming to recruit - there are also a number of opportunities in the body shop, parts department, sales and marketing and other support services, according to Mr. Oliveira.

"It is fantastic - we had a really good response from the Fair last year," he said.

"We send everybody home with a T-Shirt or a keyring or something and they get a lot of interest just from people asking them where they got that from.

"But, there are so many different career opportunities at the company - you can work in parts, welding, mechanics, finance, IT, marketing and sales and we try and encompass all of that in our presentations.

"The students can do the test and even get a certificate at the end of it - the potential is tremendous in the automotive industry because everyone has got a car and you will never be out of a job if you are properly qualified."

And the Careers Fair will cover everything from a car safety presentation to the chance to watch mechanics working on a car.

HWP presently only has two mechanics on its books out of a total of 20, and Mr. Oliveira is keen to see that number increase, with nine apprentices coming through the ranks, including two in 2008, three in 2010 and four in 2011, and he views the Fair as the company's big chance to shine in their bid to attract more apprentices to the trade, with representatives on hand to talk to prospective students about their Automotive Service Training Programme, a three-year programme which trains Bermudians to become automotive technicians.

"I think the Careers Fair is fantastic in that it gives the students a chance to find out what the automotive trade is all about and they will hopefully realise it is not just about the image of the old mechanic with a greasy rag hanging out of their pocket ," he said.

"There is a real need in Bermuda and around the world for highly skilled automotive technicians and HWP is actively recruiting goal-oriented individuals who want to learn about the automotive industry and follow this stimulating career path.

"It may not be a glamorous career, but it can be a rewarding one which allows you to work almost anywhere in the world."

"We know that we need to find the next generation of automotive technicians from among today's student population," said Jonathan Brewin, president and CEO of HWP. "As such, we are committed to programmes that support and foster automotive training as a desirable, lucrative and highly specialised career option.

"Given the shortage of qualified automotive specialists, training as an automotive mechanic offers young people the opportunity to work in a challenging and dynamic environment for competitive salaries, while also progressing their personal career goals."