Halfords Autocentre teams up with East Kent Colleges Group to support apprenticeships

A leading automotive brand is continuing to invest in the future workforce alongside East Kent Colleges Group (EKC Group) by taking on apprentices.

With Autocentres located across the UK, Halfords provides MOT testing, servicing and a wide range of vehicle repairs.

Find out more about Nathan’s experience by watching the video below

Recognising the importance of developing industry talent, Halfords has taken on 11 apprentices since 2022 with EKC Training, which is an apprenticeship training provider in Kent and part of EKC Group.

This year, the Halfords Autocentre branch in Maidstone has teamed up with EKC Training to support Nathan Rowden with his Level 3 Automotive Apprenticeship.

Combining practical, on-the-job learning with formal study, the 27-year-old spends one day a week at EKC Training in Dover and gains hands-on experience for the rest of the week at the Maidstone Halfords Autocentre.

“I decided to do an apprenticeship so that I could get the hands-on experience doing the job, whilst also being taught all the theory and working towards a qualification,” he said.

“It’s great to be able to put what I’m learning in the classroom into practice and learn from everyone here who has years of experience.

“I was really excited to find out I would be doing my apprenticeship with Halfords. I was keen to learn how to do everything by the book, because it’s very easy to pick up bad habits in new jobs. Halfords is a well-known brand, and they do everything properly, so being able to learn everything step-by-step as I go along is so helpful.”

Dean Cocks, Assistant Manager at the Halfords Autocentre in Maidstone, said apprenticeships play a vital role in tackling skills shortages in the motor trade.

He said: “We decided to take on an apprentice because it’s a good way for us to give our experience down to somebody.

“We struggle for technicians as it is in this trade, so it’s nice to train someone in-house because you get them to how you want them. We also get to learn from them based on what they’re learning at college, which is great, because the industry is changing all the time.

“The apprentice gets real-world experience – you can’t learn everything in this trade in the classroom – it’s impossible. You need to make mistakes and find out how to rectify them.

“For us, it also takes a bit of stress off the technicians because you can give the apprentice some of the lower-level jobs and then build them up slowly.”

He added, Nathan has come on leaps and bounds since joining the team about eight months ago.

He said: “Nathan has grown massively since joining us. He had next to zero experience when he joined, he’s now doing all sorts of work, which is great because he’s only been here eight months so he’s learning really quickly.”

It comes as EKC Group and EKC Training continue to run their 100 in 100 campaign. Over a 100-day period, the organisations are on a mission to secure pledges from 100 employers in the county to take on an apprentice.

To be part of the campaign, or to find out more about recruiting an apprentice with EKC Training and utilising its free Apprenticeship Recruitment Service, visit ekctraining.ac.uk.