Eighteen new apprentices have joined the Mitsubishi Motors network and will now begin training at its headquarters in Cirencester.
Mitsubishi dealerships have committed to training the apprentices as part of their three-year level three diploma in light vehicle repair, from the Institute of the Motor Industry.
Glyn Lewis, apprentice programme controller, said: “For the second year in a row the demand for places for apprentices has been very high, which is a reflection of how confident the Mitsubishi dealers are feeling.
“The dealers are secure about their future and they are investing in more staff as a result. The dealers want people that are trained from the ground up and able to work on Mitsubishi products, like the Outlander plug-in hybrid vehicle.”
Last year saw 20 apprentices start training while in 2014 there was 11 apprentices on the scheme and in 2013 there was just eight.
The company took on a new apprentice technical trainer, Gary Preece, to meet the increased demand for places last September.
The rise in the number of apprentices in the dealer network comes after Mitsubishi Motors in the UK was named the fastest-growing mainstream car brand in 2013, 2014 and 2015.
Pictures: From left: Charlie Reeves (Acorn Mitsubishi, Birmingham), Jake Basham (Duxford Motor Group, Cambridge), Adam Livings (Gatwick Mitsubishi), Jonathan O'Brien (Browns, Preston) Glyn Lewis – apprentice programme Controller, Gary Preece – technical trainer, Marcus Brookes (Holdcroft Mitsubishi, Stoke-on-Trent), Mantas Kairys (MB Motors, Bradford), Matthew Pickett (Jennings, Middlesbrough), Kieran Hanson-Hodgson (Reading Mitsubishi) and Tony Williams (Border Cars, Dumfries)
From left: Tom Davies (Colley Mitsubishi, Cwmbran), Adam Jordan (Ashby and Mann, Hinckley), Oliver Johnson-Carter (Grays of Holbeach), James Cox (Brindley Mitsubishi, Cannock), Erika Slater - apprentice administrator, Gary Preece – technical trainer, James Bishop (Fownhope Mitsubishi, Hereford), Joshua Warr (Ashby and Mann, Hickley), Liam Slate (Devonshire Motors, Barnstaple) and Oliver Clifford (Freeborn Mitsubishi, Winchester). Not photographed - Jamie License (Cheltenham Mitsubishi)
Jeremy has been a journalist for 30 years, 20 of which have been in business-to-business automotive. He was a writer and news editor on AM-sister brand Fleet News for three years before setting up the AM website. For the last five years he has been Bauer B2B’s head of digital helping to manage the digital assets of AM, together with Fleet News, Commercial Fleet, Rail and Smart Transport.
AdamR - 25/10/2016 10:02
Great to see more apprentices becoming part and parcel of operations at Mitsubishi! It's a real testament to the quality of the apprentices you're taking on that you have taken on more each year. I work with an apprenticeship and training provider and companies like Mitsubishi that take on apprentices regularly really are the hub of the apprenticeship model.