Vantage Motor Group is expanding its Apprenticeship Training Programme with new hires and a commitment to grow its training opportunities throughout 2018.
The car dealership group, which operates Vantage Toyota Birmingham and Vantage Lexus Birmingham, has appointed nine new apprentice Motor Vehicle Technicians at its Toyota dealerships in Blackburn, Colne, Knaresborough, Morecambe, Preston, Tamworth and York, and its Lexus Birmingham and SKODA Morecambe sites.
To recognise their contribution and commitment to the business, Vantage will be payinga higher than average pay and benefits package. They will also each be given a snap-on tool box. The three year vocational training programme will see the apprentices undertake a number of residential training sessions at manufacturer training academies and will be supported in the work place by a mentor.
The announcement of these new appointments comes amidst news of a decline in the overall number of apprenticeships being offered in the UK. This follows a government levy introduced in an effort to increase the number of people taking up apprenticeships. Despite an increase in funding raised through this tax on employers there has been a 59% drop in the number of apprentices between May/June 2016 and May/June 2017.
Vantage Managing Director Mark Robinson, said: “By providing these opportunities for young people Vantage is helping to develop the next generation of talent within our industry. We are particularly pleased to welcome Cece Hirst to one of our Toyota dealerships in what is a small, but significant step in helping to bring more women into a traditionally male career. The nine apprentices we take on this year will be the first in a programme which we hope to grow further over the next few years.”
Cece Hirst, Apprentice Technician at Vantage Motor Group, said: I am really looking forward to working for a great brand like Toyota and particularly for Vantage Motor Group. I have always wanted to be a Vehicle Technician and have been around cars all my life.
“My Dad is a mechanic and was always working on a vehicle of some sort when I was young and I used to really enjoy helping him and learning how to repair things that were broken. The apprenticeship Training Programme will enable me to learn on-the-job with the added benefit of professional training with Toyota. I am really excited about the opportunity the programme and Vantage have given me.”
Vantage is committed to creating opportunities for the next generation with several programmes open to young people in school. Following the successful Speakers for Schools events earlier this year, in which Vantage Managing Director, Mark Robinson, challenged Sixth Form students to think about a career in the motoring sector, several female students will be undertaking job shadowing placements with members of the senior management teams this year.