BMW Group UK has taken on 43 new apprentices at its UK Mini and BMW production sites in Oxford, Swindon and Hams Hall near Birmingham.

The 43 new recruits will join nearly 140 existing apprentices currently undergoing training across the company’s UK manufacturing operations, with some able to progress beyond NVQ level to achieving degree level qualifications.

Mini plant Oxford has seen 28 new apprentices take up places in a variety of areas ranging from finance and logistics to engineering and IT.

With 10 new apprentices at the Swindon pressings plant and a further five at the Hams Hall engine plant, apprenticeships last between three and four years and cover a wide range of skills from human resources and business to electrical maintenance and engineering.

The training leads to an NVQ level three qualification and some young people will have the possibility to progress right through to degree level in the course of their career in BMW Group UK.

Frank Bachmann, managing director, Mini plant Oxford and Swindon, said: “Investment in young people is a key part of our plant development strategy and it is vital that we attract the very best young talent to ensure the business has the right skills for the future.”

BMW Group UK is also running its Girls Go Technical programme for the third year. It gives girls the opportunity to follow Mini production from body panels to engine building to a completed car rolling off the line. Four of the new apprentices joining BMW Group this year came from the scheme.

The programme encourages young females aged between 15 and 24 to consider a technical career within automotive manufacturing and will run during half term from October 26 to October 30 at the three plants in the company’s production network.

Simon Farrall, head of apprentice and associate training at BMW Group UK, said: “The automotive industry is still considered as a more typical career path for boys and our programme is designed to address this inequality and encourage more girls to consider a technical career in this field.

“On completion of this programme, the participants will have gained an insight into the manufacturing processes and experienced the day-to-day challenges encountered by engineers and technical apprentices as well as fine tuning their interview and job application skills.”

The girls will spend four days at the production network not only at the manufacturing sitebut also touring the MINI plant at Oxford where they will see MINIs being built.  All participants will have the opportunity to take part in activities in the Plant Oxford training school.

Applications for a place on the scheme in October 2015 can be made via: https://www.facebook.com/BMWCareersUK

The entry criteria for the programme are four GCSEs at grade A-C to include Maths, English and one science subject and predicted grades will be accepted.