Infomation For Schools
- Training in practical skills
- Educational support
- Exciting and challenging opportunities
- The chance to become a safer, more responsible road user
What is SKIDZ?
SKIDZ Projects are registered charities based in large workshops in High Wycombe, Reading and West Drayton. Work is carried out on cars, motorbikes and quad-bikes by experienced members of staff who are instructing young people in the motor trade. The students, who come from local schools, are engaged in various courses designed to meet the vocational needs of young people.
How long has SKIDZ been established?
SKIDZ in Wycombe has been in existence for 10 years, proving so successful and gaining national recognition, to the extent that it has been replicated in Reading in late 2006 and in Hillingdon in 2008. Demand at Reading has grown quickly once potential users learned of the project. Feasibility studies are being carried out in other areas across the country.
Who comes here?
Students come from local schools that are within reach of each project. They are generally aged 13 to 16 years; some projects have slightly older students who are unemployed.
All projects have an Equal Opportunities Policy encouraging participation by all. Members of the public can attend evening classes to gain knowledge of basic car maintenance for themselves. Statistics show that the students are generally male, but 12 – 14% are female. There is also a good ethnic mix reflecting the make up of the local communities in which we work.
What do students do here?
They learn basic car maintenance, Health and Safety in the workshop environment, information and attitudes to encourage safe and legal driving, road user studies, and much more. The practical skills will stand them in good stead in adult life, but much more importantly, may lead to employment in the motor or allied trades. Students can enroll on a two-year exam course which is recognised nationally. Many of our students go on to apprenticeships, employment or into further education.
Students enrolling on the two-year course can sit an ABC Award at Entry and Certificate Level scoring 25 and 75 points respectively. This is a qualification that is recognised nationally and can then lead to the IMI Level 1 Course which carries 125 points at pass level. Students attend as part of an Increased Flexibility Programme within their curriculum. They come to SKIDZ for a two-hour session each week from a wide range of secondary schools in the area near to each project. Students are of varying ability ranging from those with specific learning difficulties right through to the gifted and talented high achievers.
The Primary Skills Courses are the perfect solution for many young people with learning and/or behavioural difficulties, or those not attending main stream schools for various reasons. The courses can be tailored to meet the needs and capabilities of each individual and run for two and a half hour sessions. The programme is a roll-on roll-off style enabling access as required – short or long term. Some students are from Special Schools experiencing a work-style environment; some are from Pupil Referral Units; some are from the Youth Offending Service. The course often provides an excellent medium for re-engaging a disaffected young person with education and learning.
What do students gain?
Some will gain qualifications – with a certificate to prove it! We have a very high pass rate in the WJEC exam in our SKIDZ Projects, with a number achieving top marks in the country year on year. The Level 1 Course has only recently been introduced so there are no results available yet. However, the greatest achievement for the vast majority of students is the raised self-esteem, confidence and belief in themselves that comes as a result of being able to succeed in a task in an adult environment, earning respect from adults and their colleagues. It is hard to measure this success but it shows in their faces, their posture and relationships; many cease their reliance on drugs and alcohol, which in turn improves their health and well-being. It creates the ability to re-engage with education, with their community and with potential employers.
96.5% pass rate for SKIDZ Students
SKIDZ – The Wycombe Motor Project charity is delighted and proud to announce a 96.5% pass rate for their students who have achieved high levels of success in the WJEC Entry Level Examination in Road User Studies. This includes 70.2% who have achieved the highest Level 3 marks earning a Distinction.
The young person who gained the top mark at SKIDZ scored 193 out of a possible 200. This same young person has also won himself an apprenticeship with Volvo in High Wycombe. He was selected after being put forward by his tutor as an excellent candidate. Staff at SKIDZ are delighted with the results overall, and particularly pleased for their top student.
“The young people have completed a two-year course at SKIDZ developing skills and understanding of the maintenance aspects of the motor trade, including Health and Safety” commented Steve Godfrey, Project Director at SKIDZ. Some modules are classroom based whilst others are hands-on practical skills in the workshop at the High Wycombe based charity. An external exam completes the assessment of the course content. “For many young people this course provides a spring-board leading to a career in the motor trade, enabling them to move into further education at college, an apprenticeship, or directly into employment” he said.