Dealership Network
Ford Dealer Apprenticeship Options
The Ford Dealer Apprenticeship Programme is managed and co-ordinated for Ford by Skillnet Limited.
We deliver Apprenticeship and Advanced Apprenticeship qualifications which are nationally recognised.
Apprenticeships include:
- Car Technician
- Van Technician
- Vehicle Body Mechanical Technician
- Vehicle Body Panel Technician
- Vehicle Body Paint Technician
- Management
- Team Leading
- Learning Mentor
- Customer Service
- Business Administration
Apprenticeships at Ford dealer of Britain include:
- Advanced Apprenticeships in Engineering, South East Essex
- Electro / Mechanical
- Toolmaker
- Vehicle Prototype mechanics
- Vehicle Trim
- Or alternatively, IT Degree Apprenticeships in South East Essex
The business benefits of recruiting an Apprentice
Businesses across the UK offer Apprenticeship places because they are effective at increasing productivity, improving business performance and creating a committed and highly trained workforce.
- 80% of companies who invest in apprentices have reported a significant increase in employee retention
- 77% of employers believe Apprenticeships make them more competitive;
- 76% of those employers who employ apprentices agree they make their workplace more productive.
- 81% of consumers favour using a company which takes on apprentices.
- 92% of employers who employ apprentices believe that Apprenticeships lead to a more motivated and satisfied workforce.
- 83% of employers who employ apprentices rely on their Apprenticeships programme to provide the skilled workers that they need for the future.
Recruiting an Apprentice is a long term commitment for your business and for the Apprentice. It is important to consider several issues when thinking about taking on an Apprentice, including:
What’s your current ratio of technicians to Apprentices?
Do you have enough qualified technicians to satisfy the growing demands of your customers? Do you have enough qualified staff to be able to give your Apprentices the help they will need to develop their own skills?
What’s the age profile of your current technicians?
The motor industry faces potentially severe staff shortages as the skilled population ages. You need to make sure you have enough technicians to replace people as they retire. As a general guide, we recommend a ratio of one Apprentice for every three qualified technicians.
If a qualified technician were to leave how would you replace them?
Advertising is very expensive, as is offering increased salaries to attract technicians from other brands. Although recruiting and training Apprentices calls for a significant investment of time and money, it is almost always cheaper in the long run to train your own staff than to recruit from outside or even worse to have to turn away work because you do not have enough qualified technicians.
Attracting applicants
Skillnet operates a robust attraction and selection process to help you recruit the very best apprentices.
Each year they generate 20,000 applications from people looking for Apprenticeships in the automotive industry through their advertising and marketing campaigns, and their links with schools and careers services nationally. They then take these applicants through a series of tests and interviews to help to determine if they are right for your business. You then make the final decision about which apprentice to recruit.
You can support Skillnet in attracting applicants for your vacancies by:
- Arranging “open days” for Careers staff and schools to visit your dealerships.
- Offering “work-tasters” and work experience opportunities for year 10-12 pupils from local schools.
- Giving potential Apprentices the chance to visit your premises with their parents to find out more about the opportunities you can offer.
- Visiting local schools to talk to groups of pupils about careers in the Automotive Industry.
- Putting your Apprenticeship vacancies on your own website and linking these to this website.
Selecting The Right Apprentice
We take great care to understand your precise requirements before matching any potential apprentices to you. We operate a seven stage recruitment process which takes all of our applicants through a rigorous selection process to test their commitment, aptitude and academic ability.
This includes a series of tests, face to face interviews and presentations. For every one applicant that you see, we have tested and interviewed many more. Of course, as these applicants will become your employees, you get the final say on which applicant(s) you employ.
Funding
In England, the Skills Funding Agency (SFA) contributes 100% of the costs of training any Apprentice aged between 16 and 18 on the day they start their Apprenticeship. For older learners, contributions may be required from employers to cover some of the costs of training.
Different funding regimes exist in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
For further details please contact us.
