One of the capital’s best-known independent garages, D&G Autocare at Stevenson Road, Murrayfield is continuing to produce great young apprentices.
One of the company’s young apprentice mechanics has been awarded an Apprentice of the Year Award from the Institute of Road Transport Engineers (RTE). Brant West (17) from Fife has been with the independent garage group for the past year and is about to start the second year of his apprenticeship.
Having initially been chosen for his dedication and aptitude, Brant was entered for the national final at a college in Ayrshire where he had to complete a number of workshop tasks, including steering, braking and suspension inspections a well as engine diagnostic procedures. The Judges deemed Brant to have performed the best out of the competitors and awarded him the title of Apprentice of the Year. He was presented with a tool kit and certificate from the event organisers and sponsor in recognition of his achievement.
Brant said: “I am absolutely delighted to have won this award – it’s brilliant to be named Apprentice of the Year. There were five of us chosen from the college to compete against a high quality field of apprentices from all over Scotland.”
Pete Wood, Operations Director for D&G Autocare, who oversees the D&G Apprentice scheme which includes the office based apprentices the firm has taken on was ecstatic:
“Our sincere congratulations go to Brant who has done us proud in representing D&G Autocare.”
“We are committed to our apprentice scheme – we have several apprentice mechanics across the group, including Brant, and two administration apprentices who are currently based at our office Headquarters.”
The garage group has been operating its apprentice scheme for the past four years and extended it to cover office administration roles too.
Finished Pete Wood: “We really value our apprentice scheme as we are attracting youngsters into the industry and training them to our standards which will hopefully ensure that they stay with the firm long term. We enjoy a very low staff turnover here at D&G with our customers seeing the same friendly faces time and time again. Brant’s success has given everyone a morale boost.”
“We believe it is a company strength to retain staff and we know that our customers and suppliers build up relationships with them.”
For further details on D&G Autocare’s Apprentice scheme please check out http://www.dandgautocare.co.uk.
PHOTO Left to right: Stephen Grubb (Lecturer Fife College), Stephen Ayton (Curriculum Manager), Brant West (Apprentice), Jim Copeland (Chaiman, IRTE Fife) and Sandy Bruce (Lecturer Fife College).
Submitted by CLARE GRAHAM
