A promising technical apprentice at Lookers has won a prestigious national award just as the motor retailer welcomes another 150 trainees onto its apprentice programme.
Alex Ingram, 20, at Mercedes-Benz of Stoke, has won the Rising Star of the Year Award at the West Midlands round of the National Apprenticeship Awards.
It is the third time in a row that a Lookers apprentice has won a regional round of the award, with Alex set to take part in a public vote for the national final at the end of November.
Lookers was also commended in the Macro Employer of the Year category in the North East round of the awards.
Alex said: “I’m really enjoying my apprenticeship, which has given me an incredible amount of knowledge in just a small space of time. To be recognised as a rising star is brilliant and I’m sure the title will help me as I look to build my career in the motor industry. I would like to thank everyone at Lookers for giving me such an amazing start.”
This year’s cohort takes the number of apprentices at Lookers to over 500, with the majority expected to join the company at its 165 franchise dealerships on completion of their training.
Also, there are another 10 female apprentices among this year’s cohort, bringing the total number of female technical apprentices at Lookers up to 23.
Another bright star at Lookers, Rob Pallent Bright, will soon be competing in the 2019 World Skills Finals, which brings together apprentices around the country for a series of practical challenges across a range of fields, from construction and engineering, to hospitality and business.
Rob recently completed his light vehicle apprenticeship, which saw him study on the Ford Dealer Apprenticeship Programme at the Henry Ford Academy.
Rob said: “Becoming a technical apprentice was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made as it has helped me to earn money while I learn. I would recommend the programme and a career at Lookers to anyone.”
Matt Clay, Group Qualifications Manager at Lookers, said: “We’ve invested heavily in our apprentices over the past few years as part of our efforts to grow a skilled and diverse workforce and are especially pleased to have seen an increase in the number of female apprentices joining the programme. The whole of Lookers are behind both Alex and Rob and we wish them the best of luck in their national finals.”
