Inside the Kwik Fit academy

At Kwik Fit, we invest a lot of resources into training our people to make sure that every vehicle that leaves our workshop has received the best possible care. Our training courses cover everything we do in our centres; from wheel alignment to MOT testing. Combining theory with practical, our training courses are designed to provide our team with the knowledge and experience to complete car maintenance to a high standard.

One of the areas that we invest a lot of time and resources in is the apprenticeship scheme. The apprenticeship scheme aims to equip trainees with the skills and knowledge they need to thrive in the automotive industry. Quality of work, customer requirements and safety are all crucial elements of the apprenticeship training scheme. As a result of the quality of training, the scheme consistently has high success rates with many trainees progressing to higher levels within the company.  Our training is not only for the apprentices but also for other members of staff looking to develop their skills further and learn about new areas of vehicle maintenance.

For this reason, we provide over 18,000 training days a year to ensure that our team are constantly improving their skills in line with advances in automotive technology.  This training takes place both in the classroom and in the workshop with our trainees  having access to many different car models to practice their skills on. The equipment in the training academies is the same as the equipment in our centres which allows the team to have the hands-on experience they need to work in our centres.

The programme is adapted to suit each individual apprentice and their different learning styles and aspirations. Apprentices choose their own development plan depending on what they want to specialise in and staff members with more experience are encouraged to learn new skills. This can then allow their development to be adapted to suit their aspirations and goals. Whether they want to focus on MOT testing, servicing or centre management, their training is adapted to suit them. This allows our apprentices to develop the skills they need to further their career in the automotive sector.

Learning and development doesn’t stop once the apprenticeship is complete and we are keen for our team to be continuously honing their skills. Jess Darbyshire, a member of the team at Kwik Fit Marske, was featured on BBC programme ‘The Mighty Redcar’. The programme aimed to portray the lives of young people in the area as they aim to get on the career ladder. Jess completed a two year programme at an independent garage. However, they were unfortunately unable to offer her a permanent job once she had completed her training. She decided to apply to Kwik Fit in order to develop her mechanical skills further. She has now been working at Kwik Fit for over a month and is enjoying the new challenges she is faced with each day. Her centre manager is keen to support her and help to develop her skills further through a combination in centre training, online training and practical training at one of our training academies. 

Our investment into training is reflected in some of the feedback we receive from our customers. Just one example of this is from Chris Teleford who visited the Bromley centre. Chris’ car was brought into the centre as his tyres were close to the legal limit. The team at Bromley were able to sort out Chris’ tyre quickly and efficiently which meant he was able to attend training the next day and attend the Team GB Taekwondo selection where he was chosen to represent Britain at the Olympics.

We continually invest in enhancing the skills of our team and they are encouraged to either attend courses where they can develop their knowledge. Ofsted rated our apprenticeship programme as ‘Outstanding’ in its last inspection in 2015 and many of our apprentices progress further in the company to become Centre Managers or advanced Master technicians. After our apprentices have passed their course, there are still many training opportunities to enable them to gain expertise in all areas of vehicle maintenance.