Halfords and the Palmer Foundation – a charity established by former Aston Martin and Nissan boss Andy Palmer – have announced a partnership to help young people from disadvantaged backgrounds to train as automotive technicians.
The UK faces a shortage of qualified motor technicians and there is a chronic issue with the number being trained to service, repair and maintain vehicles. with EVs a particular concern. Halfords calculates that the rate of training needs to double to keep pace with demand.
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The new partnership is designed to enhance Halfords own recruitment drive. The company, which hopes to recruit about 100 apprentices this year, employs a total of 2,200 technicians across its 600 garages.
Dr. Andy Palmer said: “I hope that this partnership with Halfords allows the Palmer Foundation to give the same opportunities I had as a young person to many more young people without connections and a support network around them. Who knows? Perhaps we’ll have a future CEO or two amongst the first intake of the Palmer Apprentices.
Andy Turbefield, Halfords Head of Quality at Halfords said: “As a nation we need to ensure we are attracting enough new talent into the automotive industry. That means broadening the net and ensuring all communities and backgrounds are properly represented. This is an important partnership for Halfords, and I look forward to working with Andy Palmer and the team at the Palmer Foundation.”
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