On the road to success: Some of Sapphire Vehicle Services’ latest crop of technicians on their upskilling programme – from left, Ryan Jones, Jamie Hooton, Liam Fitzsimmons, Andrew Bellamy, and trainer Ross Oakes of Blyth Automotive
Sapphire calls out to technicians who want to learn and earn
Sapphire Vehicle Services is on the hunt for car mechanics or other keen candidates who have the drive and ambition to ‘think big’.
The fast-growing independent commercial repair specialist is inviting a new crop of applicants for its training programme to upskill people with relevant experience into qualified – and higher paid – truck technicians.
“This course is targeted at people with a strong foundation of relevant experience,” said Sapphire Training Manager Tony Hewins. “Most will already be working as car or van mechanics, although we’ll also consider people who might be working in related fields.
“We’re looking for a group of up to 12 candidates. We’ll take them on as full-time employees and provide them with a 12-month programme consisting of six blocks of classroom training, each a week long, interspersed with time back in the workshop where they can put their new skills to use in a real-life setting.
“At the end of the year we expect all to pass their IRTEC accreditations and become fully fledged heavy vehicle technicians, with a recognised professional qualification which typically comes with a higher rate of pay than car mechanics can earn.
“They’ll also be working for a successful, expanding business that values ongoing career development, so there’s a great deal of potential for further improvement. All they need is the determination to learn and succeed.”
Classroom training will take place at Sapphire’s Northampton depot and be delivered by partner Blyth Automotive. Sapphire operates workshops across country, though, so applications are invited from candidates based anywhere in the UK.
Each week-long block will focus on a different topic, starting with an Inspection & Maintenance module and continuing through Chassis, Electronics, Diagnostics and Transmission before a final Review of the entire course content.
Sapphire already runs a successful apprenticeship programme aimed at candidates entering the industry for the first time but the upskilling scheme runs alongside that. Its aim is to fast-track highly-trained commercial vehicle technicians – who are in short supply throughout the industry – into the company’s national network of workshops.
“We’re always on the lookout for competent and experienced truck technicians but there’s a shortage of qualified people across the country,” said Tony Hewins. “So we decided to be proactive and train our own.”
One of Britain’s most successful independent commercial vehicle aftersales providers, Sapphire Vehicle Services looks after upwards of 28,000 trucks and vans at its 16 workshops nationwide, for a client portfolio that includes some of the biggest names in the supermarket sector.
Anyone eager to join the programme should contact Sapphire’s Head of Talent Acquisition Gary Rogers, on 07590 984994 or gary.rogers@ballyvesey.com , or Group Commercial Manager Grant Tadman on 07880 264909 or grant.tadman@sapphirevs.com
