Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles is trying to tempt U.K. students away from saddling themselves with university loans and take up an automotive apprenticeship.
The automaker is targeting high school students fresh from receiving their summer exam results and considering whether attending university is their best option. It points out that the number of apprentices across the U.K. starting new courses has fallen 7% since 2018, leaving many trades, including the automotive sector, short of future talent. Just 24% of apprenticeships starts were for those aged under 19.
VW stresses its own apprenticeship choices cover a variety of roles including on-the-job training as a service technician, parts advisor or service advisor, all under the guidance of expert technicians. Its programs can be tailored specifically to help apprentices develop and hone their skills, using both practical and theoretical learning in the brand’s light-commercial-vehicle van centers as well as at the Volkswagen Group’s National Learning Center in Milton Keynes, in the country’s automotive industry-rich Midlands.
Rob Holdcroft, head of network sales from Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles, says: "Apprenticeships are a great alternative to further education, offering fantastic opportunities to learn and earn at the same time. Working in a van center is an exciting, varied and evolving experience. Perceptions of workshops and garages are still very outdated, so we would encourage people to get in touch to see what it’s really like. The skills gained via apprenticeships open up many opportunities for the future in a modern, electric and digital company.”
