Noble Auto’s flourishing automotive training programme at CedarBridge Academy is acquiring new course offerings — plus a service to the public to pass on the knowledge.

“The first will be in early June — we’re offering it with no strings attached to Age Concern, and single mothers,” said Noble owner and operator Fernando Oliveira.

“We hear a lot of horror stories about misdiagnoses and things that shouldn’t be done, so we want to do our best to educate the community.”

His wife Sonia, also a member of staff, added: “In the United States there’s a culture of DIY, but in Bermuda we’ve gotten away from that, so we’re trying to instill some confidence in people. It’s basically going to be a class in how to own a car.”

The garage envisages three seminars a year to train the uninitiated in basics such as caring for cars, saving fuel, consumer knowledge and getting a second opinion when things go wrong.

Noble Auto is a full-time business and a classroom for senior school students via the Career Pathways initiative.

Its latest offering is teaching marine repair and marine mechanics: boat engines are now mounted in the workroom where Mr Oliveira holds classes with CedarBridge students.

Junior mechanic Akale Bean, a CedarBridge graduate now age 23, is working at Noble Auto after studying automotive mechanics at the Universal Technical School in Orlando, Florida.

“I’ve always just been good with my hands — I like working on engines, transmission; I enjoy whatever I do,” he said. “I know this is a business that will never run out.”

Robert Saraiva, 22, got his automotive training at Bermuda College then Niagara College, Canada. “I’m working here as a senior apprentice — I worked here last summer during school, then came back a month ago, and I’m going to stick here as long as I can,” he said.

“This is a major opportunity. When it comes to apprenticeships, dealerships aren’t really looking for that. When I found this place, I was happy to get my foot in the door.”

CedarBridge students get their hands dirty through design and technology classes, during which Mr Oliveira teaches them the basics — and picks out his top five students from the CedarBridge Pro Shop programme as the “future stars who will work with our master mechanics”.

“We work seven days a week, which allows us to have nine students working for us part-time, after school and on the weekends as part of Career Pathways,” Mr Oliveira said.

He commended students Christopher Pacheco, Nicholas Fletcher, Brandon Pimentel, Summer McGlynn and Jonathan Smith.