Jimme Bes
- Age: 20 years
Competitor in Skill: Automobile Technology
Country: Netherlands
How did you get interested in your skill?
As a kid I've always kept an eye out for cars. Knew almost all of the car manufacturer's at the age of 6. Usually when I went to 'sleep' I kept looking out the window for passing cars for an hour or so. Also when i was in the back seat of a car, I always looked out the window, hoping a cool car would pass. Nowadays I keep that in mind when driving down the highway. I see kids looking out of the rear windows of a car when I pass, screaming to their little brother 'WOW, LOOK AT THAT!' It reminds me of myself, as a kid. That makes me feel great.
Where did you do your training for your skill?
I trained at school, and in my spare time I train for myself as well, on my own car or on cars of friends.
How did you first find out about your Member organization and its programs?
I heard about it at school, I was interested so they explained me how it all worked.
Who influenced you to pursue your skill as a career?
My expert, he really motivates me to go on with what I am doing. Also I realise that my skill is also really practical because cars are also my hobby. In my spare time I usually 'play' with cars, modify them, meet with other car enthusiasts, drift.
What is your experience in participating with your Member organization?
I don't have any experience with my Member organization so far.
Describe your most memorable moment so far with WorldSkills?
Winning the Nationals I think, it was great, my friends were there, and the day went great.
Describe what your experience has been since your involvement with WorldSkills
It's busy, you'll have to work really hard if you want to accomplish something here. It's big, with a lot of competitors. Also the pressure is big, because of all the people who will be watching you. Luckily for the competitors they are preparing us for that.
Did participating in the skills competitions and training for WorldSkills help you progress in your skill? Please describe.
So far, the participation itself didn't help my progress in my skill, but now I'm training a lot, and definitely learning very much. I get extra lessons at school where I take apart different parts of the car, witch shows me how it all works. I also take part of my schools very own Rallyteam. We have two Nissan 350z's and a Mitsu EVO 10, witch compete in the rally championships. We maintenance the cars so they won’t break down during the race, and adjust the suspension, the engine, etcetera. Also when they do break down, we fix it. This really is a great experience and I learn a lot from it.
What do you currently do? Where do you work?
I'm studying automotive technologies, first year now. In my free time I work on cars for fun, I'm a fan of Japanese cars so if I have the chance I work on cars like the Toyota Supra.
What are your future career aspirations?
Many people think I want to be a car mechanic, but they're wrong. I like cars, I wanted to enlarge my knowledge about them and learn how to fix them when they break down. That's why I started studying Automotive Technology's. What I really would like to do, is go to Japan, buy a stack of cars that are rare in Europe, and sell them in my home country. Also doing some modifications to them, like making them faster and more reliable. That's what I really would like to do in my career.