Siu Man Lai & Lawrence Leung – Mentors of Apprentice programme of Porsche Centre Hong Kong and Macau, Jebsen Motors
Nowadays many young people associate career opportunities and development with education they receive inside a classroom. As mentors of the Porsche Centre Hong Kong and Macau After sales apprentice programme, however, we have reaped much benefit – and continue to do so – from one of the most time-honoured forms of education, apprenticeship.
Our relationship began more than 20 years ago as mentor and apprentice. In the traditional mentor-apprentice dynamic prevalent at the time, mentors tended to be more authoritative and reserved, teaching their craft through role-modelling and top-down instruction. Apprentices usually were assigned to a single mentor. That is a fairly accurate depiction of the apprentice programme back then, and the first years of our working together.
Fast forward 20 years, during which the automotive industry underwent dramatic changes and development, this dynamic has evolved. Apprentices today have much more to learn. Facing challenges like new technology, auto trends like electric vehicles and ever more savvy and discerning customers, aftersales teams today need to have superb analytical skills, razor-sharp judgment as well as effective interpersonal skills. Now as fellow mentors, our job is to support each other in helping apprentices develop the right skills and attitudes for success in the aftersales profession.
This is why we appreciate the fact that as a company, Jebsen Motors had the foresight to revamp its development strategy to address these challenges. The new 3-year apprentice programme offered by Porsche Centre Hong Kong is designed to groom a new generation of aftersales professionals who not only have the technical skills to doctor automotive issues, but the maturity to handle an increasingly complex workplace. All apprentices rotate among different units within aftersales, working directly with mentors from various teams. Through this exposure, they gain a better understanding of the aftersales operation, varying management styles and even their career path options – for example, they may decide to pursue a senior technician role or the more customer-focused Service Advisor position.
Because we both enjoy sharing our knowledge and experience, we feel a strong sense of mission to train up a team of young, well-rounded aftersales professionals for Porsche. Amidst these changes, both of us agree that modern-day mentor-apprentice relationships should be buttressed by more two-way communication and collaboration – after all, many great ideas come from collective brainstorming. We are also learning from our young apprentices, especially when it comes to new technology and handling digital equipment. By letting them take the lead on these tasks, we give them a greater sense of responsibility and gratification, and they in turn learn to become better managers and problem-solvers. In this sense, the learning journey of apprenticeship never stops, even when we become mentors. We are grateful for this journey, and look forward to building up an all-star team of after sales talent to serve Porsche owners for generations to come.