Jonathan Welch speaks to the business partners behind training provider Oakley Thompson about their background and their growing new business
With the diversification of driveline technology and the desire to not just attract more quality engineering staff into the industry but to attract a new demographic to a sector traditionally seen as dirty heavy engineering, there has been a corresponding rise in the amount of training required and the number of providers seeking to engage with the sector. In the North East, Oakley Thompson is seeking to fill what it sees as a gap in the market with a range of IMI and IRTEC-accredited courses, all designed to help upskill engineers, mechanics, and technicians to make sure their knowledge base is up to date and that they’re correctly certified in handling the variety of safety-critical tasks that coach, bus or HGV operation requires.
Heading up the company are directors Andy Oakley and Vince Thompson, both with a background in the industry. Andy serves as the company’s Operations and Training Director, having started his career as an apprentice engineer in 1998, having served his time training at Tile Hill College in Coventry, at the time a leading PSV training centre. Vince is the company’s Technical and Engineering Manager, also trained at Tile Hill College, at the same time as Andy, where their friendship developed. After his studies, Vince went on to build up a PSV repair company in Durham, and with which Oakley Thompson has close links as it allows for training to take place in a real-life ‘live’ environment.
“I’m a 27 year veteran of the bus industry,” explained Andy. “I did my apprenticeship in the bus industry with Arriva back in 1998, and since then I’ve predominantly worked on buses, but I’ve also done a lot of work with trucks and now also with vans, so there’s a bit of everything.
“My job also took me to Australia for three years. That’s about 14 years ago now. I was the assistant manager for one of the largest independent bus companies in Australia, based in Melbourne. Coming back here, I went back into the bus industry, and then about seven years ago I got a phone call out the blue from a college asking if I fancied teaching. So I went into teaching, doing heavy goods and light vehicle courses. I did that for a couple of years and then went on as a contractor, like an agency teacher, which gave me a lot more flexibility in where I could work and what I could do. Around 18 months ago, Vince contacted me and asked if I wanted to set up a training business. We have known each other for around 25 years, and we’ve constantly worked together in the industry. “Vince has got an established bus and coach repair garage in Durham, and next to the workshops is an office block. He saw that we had an opportunity to use it as a training facility, and here we are 18 months later.”
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