Twenty-one managers from across JCT600 have graduated with a Certificate in Automotive Management following the completion of an 18 month course at the Centre of Automotive Management at the University of Buckingham.

"Training our people so that they are able to provide the best possible service to customers remains one of our main priorities.

"JCT600 is known for nurturing its team – we have excellent levels of staff retention and we believe that this is largely because we enable staff to grow with us and actively encourage them to improve and develop,” said Graham Clark, HR director for JCT600.

"This automotive management programme is another example of our continuing investment in developing talent. It has been specially adapted to meet the needs of our team at all levels and we are confident that the graduates will bring back some great new ideas and practices to the business."

Led by motor industry expert Professor Peter Cooke, the new course was designed to provide participants with a broad background to management, but set within the context of the automotive industry.

It covers eight modules on a broad range of subjects including: management and leadership, finance and business planning, strategy and implementation, marketing and customer service.

JCT600, which has its head office in Bradford, has a workforce of 1,350 people at 42 dealerships throughout Yorkshire, Derbyshire, Lincolnshire and the North East.

It represents 21 brands such as Aston Martin, Audi, Bentley, BMW, Ferrari, Maserati, Mercedes-Benz, Porsche and Volkswagen.