Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles promote apprenticeships as take-up falls

25 June 2021  

With across-the-board 2019/2020 UK apprenticeship starts at a five-year low, Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles is supporting the search for the next-generation of apprentices.

The brand is sponsoring the 2021 HIP and SPARKS Learner of the Year competition for the second consecutive year, which cover plumbers and electricians respectively. The company provided a fleet of Transporter vans to help move the team and equipment for the events across the UK.

Apprenticeship starts have kept falling since the introduction of the Apprenticeship Levy in 2016/17, and are down 43% year-on-year since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to government figures. The competition aims to promote apprenticeships and encourage those already schemes to hone their skills.

As well as supporting the competition, Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles offers apprenticeships as a Service Technician, Parts Advisor, and Service Advisor. The programmes use both practical and theoretical learning in the brand’s Van Centres as well as at the Volkswagen Group’s National Learning Centre in Milton Keynes.

Kate Thompson, Head of Marketing at Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles, said: “Inevitably, the past year has been challenging for apprentices and businesses alike, and these declining figures reiterate the difficulties young apprentices have faced. Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles’ own apprenticeship scheme offers students tailored programmes to help develop their careers and tailor their learning, and we’d urge young people seeking a career in the industry to consider an apprenticeship as a great springboard for their future.”

For more information visit: www.volkswagencv-apprenticeships.co.uk