Vauxhall donates engines to British juvenile rehabilitation facility

Vauxhall, General Motors' British subsidiary, is donating three engines to the HMYOI (which stands for Her Majesty's Young Offender Institution) prison in Aylesbury in Buckinghamshire in the United Kingdom. The institution has a program called the Motor Vehicle Workshop's Engine Technology Unit that attempts to teach young people who have had run-ins with the law how to work on automobiles and engines, giving them valuable experience to take with them into the workplace after they are released.

Vauxhall community relations officer Cherie Denton said "Vauxhall are very pleased to be able to provide young offenders with the opportunity to obtain vital skills and qualifications working on our engines. We hope that this will be of significant benefit to them in the workplace." Andy Pickett, a tutor at HMYOI Aylesbury, said "We are really grateful to Vauxhall Motors for their donation. What really motivates us is giving these young men a chance to turn their lives around by providing them with skills in an area of national skill shortage."

There are two levels of qualifications a student at the Engine Technology Unit can achieve. The first is a six-week course that covers the basics of the industry, giving the student a chance to find a more general position in the automotive business. The second level of qualification is a six-month course that goes more in-depth into the field of automotive and engine repair. It can later be converted into an NVQ (National Vocational Qualification) that certifies the student as having mastered a particular level of competency in automotive repair. The course at the Engine Technology Unit at HMYOI Aylesbury can give a qualified student as high as a Level 3 NVQ.