This week (7th-14thFeb) it’s National Apprenticeship Week 2022, where businesses and apprentices come together to celebrate past, present and future apprentices. The theme this year for National Apprenticeship week is ‘Build the Future’ which focuses on how employers train, retain and achieve with apprentices.
At Ciceley Commercials Ltd we have several team members who joined us as apprentices and have risen through the ranks and are enjoying their career with us still, such as Steve Hall, who is celebrating an amazing 50 years with us this year.
Steve began his Ciceley career in 1972, as a 15-year-old apprentice technician, Steve recalls how the job itself has also changed out of all recognition over the years. “When I started out our tools of the trade were spanners and torque wrenches. These days you’re more likely to see one of our technicians using a laptop to carry out a diagnostic test on a vehicle.”
After starting his career with us as an apprentice in 1972, Steve worked his way through the ranks and is now our Prep Centre Manager in Blackburn.
Technology may be changing every day, but apprenticeships are still invaluable in the motor industry, for both the dealership and for the apprentices who start their careers with us. The benefit of learning, earning money and doing the job supported by qualified professionals make it an appealing start to a career for many people.
Ciceley Commercials Ltd Dealer Principal Mike Lewis added: “Steve’s contribution to the ongoing success of Ciceley Commercials has been massive. His store of knowledge and experience is vast and we’re very lucky to have held onto him for so long – and even luckier that he has no plans to retire just yet!
“His long and distinguished career is also testament to Ciceley’s philosophy of nurturing its staff and keeping hold of the brightest and best people in order to keep providing the very highest levels of service to all our customers.”
One of our greatest apprentice success stories is our Group Aftersales Director, Andrew Heys. Andrew joined Ciceley Commercials as an apprentice in 2000, after leaving us for a short period to work for Mercedes-Benz, he came back to Ciceley as the Group Aftersales Director. When asked about his view on apprenticeships he said this: “No-one believes in apprenticeships more than I do. I have experienced first-hand the benefits. I started as an apprentice and with a lot of hard work, worked my way up to a Director role – at the same company i completed my apprenticeship with! With the right company, providing the right support and mentorship, an apprenticeship can provide the grounding for an exceptional career. I’ve seen many apprentices start their career with us and work their way up through the ranks to become a manager and mentor the new generation of apprentices that come through the door”
At Ciceley Commercials Ltd many of our team who started as an apprentice now train the apprentices we currently have. We take on apprentices both as a dealership, and through the Mercedes-Benz Apprenticeship Programme. We currently have 13 current apprentices at Ciceley, and 4 apprentices who graduated last year, all who work with us in our parts department, as technicians, or even on our customer service team.
Our apprentices who work in the parts department or as technicians all benefit from attending the exceptional Mercedes-Benz training programme. They are sent for training in one-week blocks, at the Mercedes-Benz academy, whilst shadowing and learning on the job at Ciceley Commercial Ltd. For our customer service apprenticeships, we team up with local colleges to offer these roles to several apprentices.
Madison (above) is one of our Customer Service Apprentices at our Bolton Branch, studying through Bolton College. Paul Lomax, our Service Manager in Bolton said: “The Apprenticeships team at the College have provided a great level of customer service, being both helpful and professional.
“We’ve been that impressed with the team, we’ve also offered work experience placements to Bolton College learners.”
For more information about apprenticeships at Ciceley please see here or read more about the Mercedes-Benz academy programme here. For more information on National Apprenticeship Week and to get involved please see the National Apprenticeship Week website here.
