Bentley Motors has appointed Valley Forge UK to provide its dealer advanced apprenticeship programme for the next three years.

Valley Forge, a subsidiary of SPX Corporation, will be including a national recruitment process bespoke to the requirements of the dealer network and a more detailed scheme of work that includes dedicated Bentley Academy technical training.

Of the 23 Bentley dealers across the country, 10 are currently participating in the programme and Valley Forge hopes to increase this number over the coming year.

Unlike other automotive apprenticeships in the UK, training will not take place at individual training centres but at the Bentley Motors factory in Crewe, Cheshire.

Also unique to the scheme is a factory/dealer apprentice exchange programme for third year students, which aims to build relationships between the dealer network and factory.

The apprenticeship programme includes competency assessments at each key stage of training which will then lead to ATA and Bentley certified assessments.

Apprentices will also become associate members of the programme’s awarding body, The Institute of the Motor Industry (IMI) and will receive an NUS associate card.

Steve Heywood, Valley Forge apprentice technical trainer and Michael Husband programme manager, will be delivering the programme.


Kevin Perks, Bentley academy manager, Steve Heywood, technical trainer and Michael Husband, programme manager, in the dedicated apprenticeship training room at the Bentley factory in Crewe.