Prince Charles visited the ‘Get Into Car Mechanics’ programme at Arnold Clark Automobile’s GTG Glasgow Training centre today.

Greeted by new participants and recent graduates from the ‘Get Into Car Mechanics’ programme, His Royal Highness met young people who have received support from his youth charity The Princes Trust.

They demonstrated a range of skills – from car maintenance, electrical engineering and tyre fitting – which help young people to build their confidence, learn practical skills and take their first steps towards a job or training opportunity.

The Prince’s Trust Scotland and Arnold Clark have been working together since 2008, focusing on bridging the skills gap amongst young people in science, technology, maths and engineering (STEM) and getting them prepared for the world of work.  The programme has been a success, with 80% of the young people being employed at an Arnold Clark dealership. 

Eddie Hawthorne, managing director of Arnold Clark, said: “Our partnership with The Prince’s Trust Scotland continues to go from strength to strength and we are proud to offer opportunities to young people that will help them realise their potential.”

Allan Watt, director, Prince’s Trust Scotland, said: “One in four young people in Glasgow are struggling to find a job, so that means working with employers like Arnold Clark is more important than ever to help tackle youth unemployment.”

The ‘Get Into Car Mechanics’ course, hosted at Arnold Clark’s purpose-built £10 million training centre, GTG Glasgow, allows young people to receive their initial car mechanics training. This includes learning about basic vehicle maintenance, tyre fitting and valeting.