Kwik Fit doubles apprentice intake to 320 in 2012

Kwik Fit has announced that it will take on 320 apprentices in 2012, more than double the company’s intake of 120 in 2011. The firm will offer the two year schemes to 16-18 year olds in locations throughout the UK. The announcement coincided with the visit of David Way, chief executive of the National Apprenticeship Service, to the company’s Training Academy in Derby. Way said the company’s commitment to its apprenticeship programme, ranked as “outstanding” by Ofsted, was “very impressive”.

Paul Binks, head of learning and development at Kwik Fit, said: “We are investing heavily in training apprentices, because we recognise they are the long term lifeblood of our business. We are committed to providing long term, on-going training, and the results can be seen by the fact that our apprentices rise up the ranks within the company. We are confident that many of our 2012 recruits will be managing our centres in the years to come.”

David Way, chief executive of the NAS, said: “Kwik Fit’s commitment to training and development is very impressive and it is clear what a significant investment they are making to their apprenticeship scheme. Today’s announcement is really good news, coming at a time when we are working with employers to ensure that all apprenticeship programmes are of the highest quality.”

A Kwik Fit Apprenticeship lasts two years and provides five additional units of qualification compared to an equivalent course carried out in college environment. Kwik Fit’s training programme has been rating ‘outstanding’ by Ofsted, and the company has been awarded ‘Beacon’ status by the Learning and Skills Improvement Service.

The company recruited its first apprentice in 1992, and in the 20 years since then, over 1,000 apprentices have passed through the company’s training programme. The company has four training academies in Derby, Gloucester, Harlow and Broxburn, together providing over 15,000 days of training per year. Last year, Kwik Fit received more than 18000 applications for 120 places.