Honda (UK)’s apprenticeship programme has achieved the highest possible ‘outstanding’ grading from the Office for Standards in Education (Ofsted).

The company’s £2.4m training facility, The Honda Institute, opened in 2001 and now offers five different apprenticeship schemes: Car, motorcycle, parts operations, lawn & garden and marine engineering.

In January 2012, Her Majesty’s Inspectors used a four-point scale (1 = outstanding; 2 = good; 3 = satisfactory; four = inadequate) to rate them for ‘overall effectiveness’, the ‘outcomes for learners’, the ‘quality of provision’ and ‘leadership and management’.

Paul Taylor, technical training operations manager at the Honda Institute, commented: “The grading from Ofsted is a real testament to the professionalism and passion of our people. Apprentices make up 20% of Honda (UK)’s car and motorcycle technicians, so a grading of ‘outstanding’ reinforces that we are getting it right.”

The car and motorcycle apprenticeships take three years, during which time the apprentices are employed by their local Honda dealership and attend block training at the Institute.