Virtual event focuses on apprentices’ mental wellbeing

During Mental Health Awareness Week which ran from 10 to 16 May 2021, Drive My Career announced a new “Supercharged” virtual event which will take place on 9 June 2021 to support apprentices’ mental health and wellbeing.

The session follows the success of the first “Driving Inclusivity in Automotive” event held in December 2019 in partnership with dealer group Lookers. External speakers from Babcock International, Ben, the automotive charity, Lookers and the National Franchised Dealers Association (NFDA) will be covering a number of issues related to apprentices’ wellbeing.

The event will begin with an introduction from Drive My Career and Lookers to outline the objectives of the event and touch on the implications of mental health in the automotive industry.

Gill Rughoobeer, Safeguarding & Welfare Manager at Babcock International, will discuss general wellbeing and its link with mental health, how to recognise potential issues and understand what you can do for your wellbeing.

Rachel Clift, Health and Wellbeing Director at Ben, the automotive charity, will introduce the audience to Ben and provide an overview of the charity’s health and wellbeing services.

A Q&A will close the session, allowing attendees to ask direct questions.

Additional speakers will be announced soon.

The event comes as a result of the feedback received by Drive My Career during the pandemic.  Drive My Career has been surveying its target audience of young people aged 16 to 24 and in December 73 per cent of 227 respondents said they struggled with their mental health during the pandemic and 78 per cent would be interested in learning more about the topic. Additionally, the average rating to the question “how important is it to you for an employer to support staff’s mental health” was 9.1 out of 10.

“Supercharged” is aimed at apprentices but is open to anyone interested in attending.

Sue Robinson, NFDA Chief Executive, said: “Drive My Career is committed to promoting the automotive industry as a great place to work and, at the same time, support its community of young people. Following the feedback received during the pandemic, we are looking forward to hosting our first ‘Supercharged’ event focusing on young people’s wellbeing and mental health”.

Matthew Clay, Group Qualifications Manager at dealer group Lookers said: “Lookers are delighted to be working with Industry partners, Ben and Drive My Career, to support the wellbeing and mental health of Apprentices across our Sector. Apprentices are the future of our Industry, we hope this webinar will give them the tools to further build their resilience and general wellbeing, establishing a platform to grow their careers”.