Through our engagement at careers events and school visits, we know that practical, hands-on careers in the classic and historic vehicle sector continue to spark the interest of motivated young enthusiasts. The challenge is helping these young people turn that enthusiasm into a clear pathway towards a career.

That’s where collaboration matters. StarterMotor works to inspire young people, provide employability skills and careers guidance, and connect them with opportunities across the sector. We don’t deliver formal technical training or apprenticeships ourselves; instead, we work closely with Heritage Skills Academy (HSA), our neighbours at Bicester Motion, who provide dedicated apprenticeship training in the maintenance and restoration of classic and historic vehicles.

With specialist programmes covering both mechanical skills and coach & trim, HSA plays a vital role in preserving the knowledge, craftsmanship and expertise that underpin our sector. Our shared ambition is to ensure that more young people discover these opportunities, understand the routes into them and are equipped to take their first steps towards a rewarding career.

Through our work together, we’re exploring new ways to build those connections. From careers mornings at Bicester Motion and virtual presentations to schools across the country, to engaging with Further Education colleges and their mechanical course students, we want to reach young people who have the interest and aptitude to pursue an apprenticeship but may not yet know that HSA exists or what it has to offer.

One person helping to strengthen these connections is Naomi Northey, who recently joined HSA. We caught up with Naomi to discuss her first few weeks with the business, her plans for the future, and how StarterMotor and Heritage Skills Academy can work together to inspire the next generation and help them find their way into the classic and historic vehicle industry.

Please introduce yourself - who are you, what's your background and your role at HSA?

Hi, I'm Naomi Northey. I have an engineering background, having studied Design and Technology at Plymouth University, where I specialised in engineering design and model making. After a period working in industry, I moved into engineering and automotive education and have spent almost 20 years working across both the Further Education and Higher Education sectors, working with a multitude of employer partners large and small, supporting apprenticeships and skills development.

Combined with my long-standing passion for classic cars, and having been fortunate enough to own and care for several over the years, this experience led me to my current role at HSA, as Recruitment and Employer Engagement Lead at Heritage Skills Academy, where I am helping connect talented individuals and amazing businesses to help fill the skills gap in this fantastic industry.

Tell us about your job and what excites you most about joining the HSA team and developing the role?

I think what excites me most is the passion and drive of the companies and individuals involved in this sector. There is a real commitment to preserving heritage skills while embracing new ideas and opportunities for growth.

Joining the HSA team has genuinely felt like becoming part of a family. I am not sure I have ever felt so welcomed and included by an employer. From day one, there has been such a strong sense of collaboration, support, and shared purpose.

I can see huge potential for growth and innovation within the sector, and it is exciting to work for an organisation that is helping to make that happen. Being part of a provider that is driving change, creating opportunities, and helping to secure the future of heritage engineering is incredibly rewarding and I feel in my role, liaising between organisations and individuals, I will be able to further facilitate that.

You've been with the Heritage Skills Academy for a few weeks, what are your first general impressions of the organisation and the industry?

HSA has made a really positive impression on me in the short time I have been here. It is a pragmatic and forward-thinking training provider that puts apprentices and employers at the centre of everything it does which is reflected in the recent OFSTED result it has received. Everywhere I have been since starting, I have seen evidence of the impact the programme is having on both individuals and businesses.

One example was at the HCVA event at Great Northern Classics, where we saw the work of three former HSA apprentices being showcased. I also met one, who has since taken over the business where he originally trained as an apprentice. Seeing those success stories first-hand really brought home the long-term value of the programme and the opportunities it creates.

The industry itself is even bigger and more diverse than I realised before joining HSA. It plays a significant role in the UK's economy and is supported by a passionate community of skilled professionals, supply chain businesses, and enthusiasts. It is exciting to see the breadth of opportunities and the positive impact that heritage skills can have on preserving our engineering and automotive heritage for future generations.

Can you share some of the key priorities or projects you're planning over the coming months?

Over the coming months, one of our key priorities at HSA is to continue to enhance and broaden our offer in a controlled and sustainable way. We see opportunities to support a wider range of businesses across the heritage sector and believe there are areas where the availability of apprenticeships could be further developed. Exploring those opportunities and helping to address skills needs within the sector will be an important focus for us.

In the shorter term, we are looking at how we can better engage and educate businesses, parents, schools, and young people about the commercial courses and apprenticeships available through HSA, and how they can access them.

To help us achieve this, we are developing accessible resources that can be delivered virtually to schools and other audiences. This approach will allow us to reach a wider geographical area, engage with harder-to-reach schools, colleges, and employers, and make the best use of our resources as a relatively small organisation.

Ultimately, our goal is to raise awareness of the opportunities available within the heritage skills sector and ensure that more people can access the training and support they need to build rewarding careers.

StarterMotor and the Heritage Skills Academy share a passion for attracting and supporting the next generation into the sector. How do you see our respective organisations working together in a mutually supportive and effective way?

As I mentioned in my previous answer, we are currently developing a range of virtual engagement materials. One of the first opportunities to use these will be through joint virtual presentations with StarterMotor for schools and young people.

StarterMotor can provide valuable insights into careers, employability and opportunities within the sector, while HSA can explain apprenticeship pathways, how they work and how young people can access them. Together, we can give a clearer picture of the routes into the heritage sector and help inspire the next generation, hopefully before they decide their only career options involve becoming YouTubers or professional footballers!

By working collaboratively, HSA and StarterMotor can maximise resources, reach a wider audience of schools, parents, employers and young people, and help address the sector's skills needs more effectively.

As organisations, we share the same goal: attracting and supporting new talent. That creates a natural opportunity for a partnership that is both effective and mutually beneficial. After all, if we're both trying to inspire the next generation, it makes sense to travel in the same vehicle rather than follow each other down the road. (Pardon the pun!)

Finally, thinking about the young people HSA are looking to attract, what qualities do successful candidates need to demonstrate?

Young people looking to enter the heritage automotive industry need to demonstrate pragmatism, energy, determination and, most importantly, a genuine passion for the sector. Technical skills can be taught, but enthusiasm, a willingness to learn and a strong work ethic are qualities employers really value.  It’s what I call, having that fire in your belly!

We also encourage applicants to gain some work experience wherever possible. Working on your own vehicle is a great start, but a commercial workshop environment can be very different. There is a big difference between spending a Saturday in the garage with a cup of tea, and working to a schedule with customers waiting for their pride and joy to be returned!

Above all, employers want to see people who are motivated, curious and keen to develop the specialist skills needed to help preserve our automotive heritage. And if you have a passion for old vehicles, that helps too, because some of them can be as stubborn as they are beautiful.