Arnold Clark's new apprentices.
Arnold Clark's new apprentices.
Arnold Clark and The Prince’s Trust Scotland held a celebration event marking the end of another successful Get into Cars programme. Each of the nine candidates who completed the course has been given an opportunity to build their career with an apprenticeship at Arnold Clark.
The Get into Cars programme runs over a course of six weeks and provides students with a comprehensive overview of the automotive industry. The scheme is open to young people aged 16–25 who are taught various aspects of car mechanics, including valeting and maintenance, before getting the opportunity to apply their knowledge in a workplace environment within Arnold Clark Service departments.
The students learned their new skills at GTG Glasgow, one of Arnold Clark’s leading-edge training centres, under the guidance of expert instructors.
Suzanne Sherry, Arnold Clark Apprentice Recruitment Manager, said: 'We are very proud of these nine young people that came to us at the start of the summer and have accomplished so much between now and then. They have learned a lot in that time and it has been great to see them develop. We are looking forward to getting their apprenticeship training started and we would like to offer our congratulations to each and every one of them on being fantastic participants of the Get into Cars programme.'
The successful candidates returned to GTG for the ceremony where Arnold Clark Chief Executive and Group Managing Director Manager Eddie Hawthorne handed over certificates and toolboxes to the graduates, as well as giving the surprise announcement that each of the candidates had been taken on as an Arnold Clark Apprentice.
Councillor Susan Aitken, Leader of Glasgow City Council, was the guest of honour and gave a speech during a ceremony. Councillor Aitken said: ‘As the first public sector organisation to fund the Get into course in Scotland, we are proud of this association, as we are proud of the nine young people graduating today. Glasgow City Council, The Prince’s Trust, and Arnold Clark can provide the opportunity but it is only our young people, and their efforts, who can turn this into success. A huge well done.’
The new apprentices will be placed in their local Arnold Clark garage and be given training over the next three years to build on their basic skills with the opportunity to become a fully qualified automotive mechanic.
Speaking at the event, Lewis Collins, a graduate from this year’s programme said: ‘The past six weeks have been a real eye opener for me as we’ve had classroom lessons and various practical tasks set at GTG, as well as two weeks working in an Arnold Clark branch. I really enjoyed my time in branch, getting to be in a real working environment and learning what the job entails. I got to be very hands on and learned lots. Anybody who sees this opportunity should grab it. It’s an amazing opportunity and everyone is so welcoming.’
Allan Watt, Director of Prince’s Trust Scotland commented: ‘Prince's Trust Scotland is delighted that this group of young people from Glasgow have had a chance to show off their potential and given the opportunity to be the future workforce of the motor industry. This is only made possible when partners like Arnold Clark and Glasgow City Council give our young people their investment, expertise, training and work experience.’
Arnold Clark has a longstanding relationship with The Prince’s Trust Scotland, with more than 100 young people graduating from the Get into Cars scheme to become apprentices since its launch.
