Aaron Ubasa has always wondered how things work, how they function, and how you repair them if you have a problem. So when a friend of his west London-based family, who worked at bus operator London United/RATP, suggested he consider an engineering apprenticeship, he applied, was accepted, and began in September 2018.
Having received official confirmation of his condition, both the operator and training provider S&B Automotive Academy worked with the Ubasa family to support his learning. “We developed a plan for how to keep him as part of the team – it was a big group – without profiling him to the others,” recalls S&B deputy team lead Gulam Bakawala.
Says Ubasa: “When I first stepped foot in S&B, I felt lost, and had no idea what to do or say. But when G spoke with me, and we started to have meetings, it got better.“
Sadly for Ubasa – and everyone else – the COVID lockdowns interrupted the normal course of the apprenticeship. To plug the gap, S&B provided structured online resources and interactive activities to replace the practical and theoretical aspects of the course.
Bakawala says: “There were times, due to COVID and the lack of time in the workplace, at the end of year two, when he thought maybe this wasn’t right for him. He started to worry: ‘I’ve not been at work or college – will I be able to do this EPA?’ After Aaron spoke with me, I contacted his mum Sharan. We were especially concerned because of the risk quitting this would create a qualification void for him. So we had a few one-to-ones.”
Encouraged to carry on, Ubasa spent lots of extra time revising and working through past papers in the run-up to the EPA last summer. His results speak for themselves.
Ubasa was, and continues to be, supported at the workplace, too. London United’s normal practice is for apprentices to serve six-month rotations around the depot network to expose them to different procedures. But because his condition makes it difficult for him to speak with people he doesn’t know, Ubasa was allowed to stay at the Shepherds Bush garage for the duration.
Adds Sharan Ubasa: “Over the last few years, the people in the garage learned his weaknesses and strengths, and guided and helped him build himself up and get knowledge and progress.”
Now he continues to be hands-on. “At my garage, we have electric buses: ADL/BYD single-deckers, Enviro200EV and Enviro400EV. We are starting to do more jobs on them. A month ago a compressor was leaking oil and my mentor and I had to take it out. It was big and heavy, and we had to take it out to find where it was leaking and then change a seal. A job like that I am best doing with someone I have a good relationship with,” says Ubasa.
Sharan Ubasa particularly thanked S&B for offering Aaron extra support during the apprenticeship. She says: “I never dreamed when he was diagnosed that he’d make it through his GCSEs, much less earn a qualification.”
Continues Bakawala: “Aaron is a really positive role model of someone who wasn’t sure if they could do this. He shows that if you really want something, and there are the right support mechanisms around, the world is your oyster. We have a moral obligation to support young people in an industry that is changing rapidly.”