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Grow your own
Page 64
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Mercedes-Benz is keen to grow its current workload -37000 vehicles going through 26 dealer groups every year and that means it needs every skilled worker it can get.
It has chosen to "grow its own staff" and that means it is investing heavily in its apprenticeship programme.
Last year, a concerted effort to attract potential apprentices led to 99,000 hits on its website, while it also attended 57 careers fairs and placed adverts in magazines which were seen by 300,000 people. The net result was 3,615 applicants, of which 2,187 were tested, and 207 have already been placed at dealerships.
"Of those we tested, a lot were suitable for the industry, but there are only so many we can take on," says Mercedes' managing director Ian Jones, "The industry is more attractive than we think if we present it in the right way, and that is heartening."
The three-year apprenticeship includes an internationally recognised qualification, an NVO in vehicle maintenance and repair or in vehicle parts distribution and supply, and comprehensive practical training, guided by a Mercedes apprentice scheme mentor.
But Mercedes is taking things further; it is seeking planning permission in the West Midlands to build an Apprentice Academy. With three workshops and six classrooms, the facility will be designed to handle 1,000 apprentices a year.