A Lancashire car body repair centre is working with a local school on a new type of apprenticeship scheme designed to benefit both students and employers.

Karl Vella Auto Body Repairs, in Preston, and part of the ABS repairer network, is currently taking 14 and 15 year olds from Ashton Community Science College, Preston, for two-three days of training and work experience every week, which forms part of an innovative pre-apprenticeship programme.

The Karl Vella Group's operations director Frank Harvey, says: "We have been finding that, by the time they get to 16, potential applicants to our normal apprenticeship programme are more likely to want to go into jobs where they earn money straight away - even if they are only stacking shelves or serving fast food.

"By taking teenagers into the work environment to undertake basic training earlier, they have already learned enough to be productive by the time they leave school so we can justify paying them more. Also, they are already part of a training programme that can lead them into a rewarding career in the car body repair industry."