In this comprehensive guide to the Heritage Skills Academy, you’ll discover:
- How to start a classic car restoration apprenticeship in the UK
- The two specialist training pathways available for heritage vehicle technicians
- How restoration garages can recruit skilled apprentices
- Why Bicester Heritage is the UK’s premier location for learning classic car restoration
There’s a quiet crisis brewing in the world of classic car restoration. The craftspeople who can perfectly hand-form a compound-curved panel or rebuild a pre-war Bentley radiator core are, well, getting on a bit. These aren’t skills you can pick up from a YouTube tutorial either. But here’s the good news – nestled within the historic buildings of a former RAF bomber base in Oxfordshire, something rather special is happening.
Welcome to the Heritage Skills Academy
The Heritage Skills Academy isn’t just another training facility. It’s the UK’s premier institution for classic vehicle restoration apprenticeships, operating from what many consider hallowed ground for petrolheads – Bicester Heritage.
For those unfamiliar, Bicester Heritage is an extraordinary place. This 348-acre site, once RAF Bicester, has been transformed into the UK’s first and largest destination dedicated to historic automobiles. More than 50 specialist classic car businesses call it home, creating an environment where apprentices aren’t just learning in isolation – they’re right in the thick of Britain’s thriving restoration industry. It’s like being dropped into car enthusiast heaven while you learn your trade!
The Academy has since expanded to a second campus at Brooklands Museum in Surrey – another site steeped in motorsport heritage as the location of the world’s first purpose-built racing circuit. This expansion speaks volumes about the demand for properly trained heritage vehicle engineers and classic car technicians.
Classic Car Restoration Apprenticeships
Established in 2016, the Heritage Skills Academy has laser focus on what the heritage automotive sector actually needs. For years, the classic car industry had rather fallen out of love with modern automotive qualifications that increasingly ignored the fundamental skills needed to work on vintage machinery. So they did something about it.
The Academy’s founder, John Pitchforth, worked with education and industry professionals to create the Heritage Engineering Technician Standard – a bespoke qualification that combines traditional craftsmanship with modern engineering principles. It’s exactly what the industry had been crying out for.
The programme offers two distinct pathways:
Heritage Engineering Mechanical Technician – This covers everything from veteran cars to modern classics. You’ll learn classic car engine rebuilding, chassis restoration work, vintage vehicle electrical systems, transmission, drive lines… the lot. It’s comprehensive training that ensures graduates can tackle any mechanical challenge a classic vehicle throws at them.
Heritage Engineering Vehicle Coachbuilding & Trim Technician – This pathway combines bodywork and interior skills. You’ll learn classic car panel beating, metal fabrication, welding techniques across multiple metals, restoring vehicle bodies to concours standards, automotive upholstery, trim work, and convertible hood restoration using period-correct materials and techniques. It’s the complete package for bringing a classic car’s appearance back to its former glory.
Each apprenticeship typically runs for 36 months, delivered through a block-release system that allows apprentices to balance hands-on workplace experience with intensive academy training. Here’s the brilliant bit – the government funds the £26,000 training cost, and apprentices earn a salary from day one. No student debt, just proper skills and a wage packet. How’s that for sensible?
The Results Speak for Themselves
The Academy’s track record is genuinely impressive. With approximately 200 apprentices currently in training and a growing number achieving distinction in their End Point Assessments, graduates are finding positions at some of the most prestigious restoration houses in the country and beyond.
Ofsted awarded the Academy a “Good” rating overall, with “Outstanding” marks for both behaviour and attitudes, and personal development. This isn’t just bureaucratic box-ticking – it reflects an institution that’s genuinely transforming lives and preserving invaluable skills.
For Restoration Garages
If you run a classic car restoration business, you understand the challenge of finding skilled technicians. The Heritage Skills Academy offers a streamlined solution that takes the headache out of apprentice recruitment and training.
The Academy handles the heavy lifting: advertising positions, shortlisting candidates, conducting assessments and interviews. You only meet applicants they believe will strengthen your team. They’re looking for candidates with genuine passion and commitment – people who see working with heritage vehicles as a calling rather than just a job.
Once an apprentice joins your business, they split their time between your workshop and the Academy’s training facilities. This means you get an increasingly capable technician who brings fresh knowledge back to your business while contributing to your projects. The Academy’s experienced delivery consultants maintain regular contact, ensuring the placement works for both parties.
The locations matter too. Having your apprentices train at Bicester Heritage or Brooklands Museum means they’re surrounded by excellence, seeing historic vehicles daily, and networking within the industry from day one. They even call it “The Bicester Bubble” – a unique environment where everyone understands and supports the mission of preserving automotive heritage. Rather lovely, really.
For Young People
If you’re passionate about classic cars, motorbikes, or historic vehicles and wondering how to turn that enthusiasm into a career, the Heritage Skills Academy offers something universities increasingly can’t: practical, hands-on classic car restoration training that leads directly to employment in a growing industry.
The heritage engineering sector is worth an estimated £18.3 billion annually and employs around 35,000 people in the UK. More importantly, it’s expanding. As classic cars become increasingly valuable – both financially and culturally – the demand for skilled technicians continues to outstrip supply. There simply aren’t enough people with these skills!
What’s refreshing about the Academy’s approach is their attitude toward qualifications. While they welcome applicants with relevant experience or education, they evaluate each case individually. What they’re really seeking is genuine enthusiasm and a desire to work with your hands. If you can demonstrate passion and commitment, they’ll consider your application regardless of your academic background.
The age question comes up frequently too. While many apprentices start young, the Academy has successfully trained individuals who came to the profession later, making career changes to pursue their passion. The key is motivation and dedication – not the year on your birth certificate.
Weekend Courses
The Academy also recognises that not everyone needs a full apprenticeship. Since 2018, they’ve offered weekend courses for classic car owners and hobbyists. These range from one-day classic car MOT inspection courses to multi-day maintenance workshops covering essential care for your classic.
Conclusion
What makes the Heritage Skills Academy significant extends beyond individual careers or business needs. Britain has long punched above its weight in the global classic car market, with the country’s classic car restoration expertise renowned worldwide. But that reputation depends entirely on maintaining the pipeline of skilled craftspeople.
Every apprentice who graduates from the Academy represents preserved knowledge – classic car restoration techniques and understanding that might otherwise be lost forever. When a young technician learns to hand-form a complex panel, to properly rebuild a pre-war engine, or to restore trim using period-correct methods, they’re not just gaining employment skills. They’re becoming custodians of automotive industrial heritage, ensuring that the magnificent machines of the past can be maintained for future generations.
For restoration businesses, engaging with the Academy isn’t just about filling positions – it’s about investing in the industry’s future. For young people, it’s an opportunity to build a career around genuine passion while learning skills that simply can’t be replicated by computers or AI.
In an era when so much work has become virtual and disconnected from tangible results, there’s something profoundly satisfying about restoring a piece of automotive history to its former glory. The Heritage Skills Academy exists to ensure that satisfaction – and those essential skills – endure.
Whether you’re a restoration garage looking to secure your business’s future, or a young enthusiast dreaming of working with the world’s finest classic vehicles, the message from Bicester Heritage is clear:
Get in touch today!
The classic car world needs you, and the Academy is ready to help you succeed.
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