Having taken the brave decision to study in his second language, Barham Aziz is proud to have completed his IMI Diploma in Transport Maintenance, Diploma in Light Vehicle Maintenance and Repair Principles and Diploma in Light Vehicle Maintenance and Repair Principles at our Greenock campus.
He did let the language challenges hold him back in pursuing his goal to have his own MOT Station. Barham, who is of Kurdish decent originally said,
“As somebody who had never attended a school in the UK, I was very anxious when it came to making the decision to study in English but I am so glad that I did. My first weeks in this new environment were challenging and overwhelming however, I was determined to give myself a chance as cars and mechanics were a passion of mine.”
Settling into his studies, Barham excelled in the College environment, saying he found his peers and lecturers welcoming and motivating, “I started to get to know my tutors and began to ask for support to meet my needs – at this point it was a combination of understanding the structure of the program, syllabus and language barriers. I had to put in endless hours of study after College to grasp the new terminology that I came across during classes and workshops. I count myself as lucky to have had supportive tutors that were always happy to clarify aspects of the syllabus, especially when it came to preparing for assignments and tests.”
Barham had support through English classes alongside his studies in the workshop which made me feel more confident when speaking and writing. He highlighted his lecturers, Barry Sim, and Gerry Gibson for their support during his first 2 years of college,
“Their teaching style and patience helped me understand the syllabus, pass my written and workshop assignments and ultimately put me in my third and last year of college. Even though, by the end of my second year I had a better understanding of how the IMI qualification will support me in my career, my ultimate goal was to become an MOT tester.”
This saw Barham return for another year in college, where he welcomed the support of his lecturer Dougie Paxton, “He guided me through my studies, helped me understand the requirements of training as an MOT tester and more importantly made me believe in my potential. I am grateful for all the support I have received, all the encouragement and reassurance during my time at West College Scotland Greenock campus.”
Now completed his final year of studies, the Greenock Motor Vehicle department were delighted to present Barham with a tool kit, funded via the John Mathers Trust to get
him started in the next step in his career. Barham is now running his very own MOT station, fulfilling a life long dream of his. We wish Barham all the very best for his future career!
If you want to pursue an exciting career in the motor industry check out our range of courses in our state of the art Greenock workshop facilities: