• Record total of 575 apprentices on three-year block release programme

• Expanded Graduate Development programme underway with five new starters

• Career opportunities at all levels thanks to company and Government investment

• Mercedes-Benz maintains clear focus on customer service and professional training

Mercedes-Benz UK’s commitment to delivering world-class customer service and creating a highly-skilled workforce for the future has been given a boost with the arrival this month of two teams of new employees embarking on promising careers with one of the automotive industry’s most innovative companies.

The company’s Apprentice Training Programme, run at a dedicated Mercedes-Benz branded centre near the company’s headquarters in Milton Keynes, has received additional Government funding to secure the future of the programme for a new intake of 180 students. At the same time the company has taken the step to increase its graduate intake for 2009 and, following an exacting recruitment programme, earlier this month welcomed a small group of new graduate trainees.

“Professional and motivated people are key to our plans for the future. Our investment in these schemes is an essential part of our plans, even in such challenging times for our business and for the motor industry as a whole, to help us build up the dedicated and committed team who will help us maintain our drive for world-class customer service”, commented Wilfried Steffen, President and CEO of Mercedes-Benz UK, underlining the importance of both programmes to the company.

Apprentice Training Academy

The Mercedes-Benz Apprentice Training Academy in Denbigh, Milton Keynes, has received funding of almost £1 million through the Learning and Skills Council’s Expanded Apprenticeship Programme. This will be used to support a residential package offered to apprentices who live outside daily travelling distance to Milton Keynes.

“Our partners in the Mercedes-Benz Passenger Car and Commercial Vehicle networks recognise that the training we offer their apprentices is unrivalled and will provide them with technicians who have been expertly trained to meet the requirements of their businesses and deliver the highest standards of service to their customers,” said Tony Hetherington, Technical Training Manager, Mercedes-Benz UK.

“This additional funding from the Learning and Skills Council is crucial and recognises the passion and effort that we as a company have put into our Apprentice Training Programme since it was established in 1995.”

For the first time, the Mercedes-Benz Apprentice Training Programme is this year also being offered to other companies – the only criterion being that at least 50 per cent of their business should relate to the servicing of Mercedes-Benz vehicles.

Graduate Development Programme

At a time when economic pressures are forcing many companies to cut back on graduate training, Mercedes-Benz UK has increased its graduate intake for 2009. Five highly motivated graduates, selected from over 600 applicants, have recently joined its 18-month graduate development programme. They will have the opportunity to work in a six-month rotation pattern within the group companies Mercedes-Benz UK, Mercedes-Benz Financial Services UK and Mercedes-Benz Retail Group UK, with the potential to develop an exciting career with one of the world’s most iconic and influential brands.

Wilfried Steffen sums up the company’s approach : “It is vital that we continue to invest in the future of our products and brand by ensuring that we have the right calibre of staff on board – in all areas of our business – to meet and indeed exceed the expectations of our customers.”

Mercedes-Benz UK opened its Apprentice Training Academy in September 2008. Purpose-built at a cost of £1.2 million, the facility provides both theoretical and practical training for up to 108 students per week. It features four three-bay workshops and two major unit workshops for repairing engines and transmissions – all of which incorporate the latest Mercedes-Benz diagnostic tooling and equipment – as well as five classrooms and a 60-seat lecture theatre. The workshops can accommodate any vehicle from the iconic two-seater smart through the full Mercedes-Benz passenger car, van and truck ranges to the biggest Actros truck.

Training is professionally delivered to national curriculum content, with qualifications to NVQ Level 3 and Technical Certificate Level 3 within the Advanced Modern Apprenticeship Framework. Coursework is also heavily biased to the technical innovation found on the latest Mercedes-Benz models with considerable focus on achieving high levels of customer satisfaction and ‘fixed first visit’.

Since the programme was established in 1995, more than 800 technicians and parts specialists have passed through the programme – 50 per cent of whom are still working within the Mercedes-Benz Passenger Car and Commercial Vehicle networks.