Ford is to invest £250,000 in the recruitment of up to 50 additional apprentices for its UK network of Commercial Vehicle (CV) dealerships this year, providing valuable employment opportunities for young people.
The funding will be made available for its dealership network to recruit CV Sales Executive Apprentices under the Ford Masters Apprenticeship Programme, to help develop the next generation of skilled salespeople at Ford. The funding will be available for UK dealers who recruit 16 to 24 year olds.
Stuart Harris, Ford College manager, said: “We are delighted to offer this scheme to our CV dealerships, and to be able to provide much needed employment opportunities in today’s challenging economic climate.
“The Government is placing an increased emphasis on apprenticeships as an effective and credible route into employment. Ford’s dealership network recruits more than 500 apprentices every year, making it one of the largest recruiters of apprentices in the motor industry.”
In their role as CV Sales Executive Apprentices, participants in the programme will gain extensive knowledge of Ford’s vehicle product range and how to provide customers with a high quality and professional purchasing experience. They will become skilled in selling techniques, finance and vehicle appraisals.
Ford CV dealerships will work alongside Skillnet, a leading automotive training provider, to advertise their apprenticeship vacancies to potential applicants around the UK. Skillnet received an ‘Outstanding’ status by Ofsted in 2010 and has successfully delivered training for the Ford Masters Apprenticeship Programme for the past five years.
Training will be delivered on a one-to-one basis, both on-the-job from colleagues, mentors and managers, as well as by a team of specialist assessors. The apprentices are paid and the training runs over two years. At the end of the programme, apprentices will achieve an industry-recognised qualification, a Vocational Related Qualification (Technical Certificate) and a Vocational Competence Qualification (VCQ) or a Scottish Vocational Qualification (SVQ).
There are 13 apprenticeship pathways available on the Ford Masters Apprenticeship Programme (FMAP), including a range of technical and non-technical disciplines. For more information regarding the Ford Masters Apprenticeship Programme and the Commercial Vehicle Sales Executive Apprenticeship, please visit www.ford-apprenticeships.co.uk or telephone 01923 216165. For more information about Skillnet, please visit www.skillnet.org.uk.
