The National Apprenticeship Awards 2017 - Motor group announced regional winner
Industry recognised motor group, Lookers have been announced as North East finalists in the National Apprenticeship Awards 2017.
They found their success in the ‘Macro’ category — which was sponsored by The Open University. They are committed to ensuring that customers continue to receive the very best repair and maintenance support, all carried out by world class technicians, and they believe that recruiting technical apprentices is a vital part of their success story.
Lookers almost doubled their technical apprenticeship intake between 2016 and 2017 from 78 to over 160.
They remain to have a strong presence across the UK as they represent 31 franchise brands and deliver over 210,000 vehicles each year to customers from a national network of 157 motor retail outlets. In the North East, Lookers operates from 17 dealerships as well as a regional head office in Newcastle-upon-Tyne.
Matthew Clay, Group Qualifications Manager at Lookers, commented on the success of the car dealership: “We’re very proud to win the North East regional final of the National Apprenticeship Awards 2017. We’ve put a lot of work into our programme and are already seeing positive results right across the business. We believe that creating young, skilled technicians through the apprenticeship programme is vital, not just for our business, but for the future of the motor industry. This award is a fantastic pat on the back and will make us more determined to develop our programme into an even greater success.”
There are six other regional ceremonies happening across the country. Winners from each category will have their entries sent for national judging. Three from each category will then be selected as national finalists. The very best employer category entries are also in the running to feature in the prestigious Centrica sponsored Top 100 Apprenticeship Employers list 2017. National award winners and the Top 100 Employers will be announced at the ceremony which is to be held on 18th January 2018 in London.
Speaking about the awards ceremony, Sue Husband, Director of the National Apprenticeship Service, said: “The National Apprenticeship Awards allow talented apprentices and committed employers from across our regions to receive well-deserved recognition for their apprenticeship achievements.
“Winners recognised at these awards show the range of sectors and variety of job roles apprenticeships are available in, and how they can deliver the skills employers need. I congratulate all winners on their success so far and the very best of luck in the next stage of the competition.