From left is Bailey Wood, 16, Reece Arcos, 18, Chris Radford, 16, Serena Harman, 17, trainer Billy Maley, Tyler Reynolds, 16, and Conor Sharratt, 16.

Some of the most promising automotive apprentices are being backed by the world’s number one tyre and rubber company, as they make their way into the fast-fit industry.

Bridgestone is lending its support to National Tyres for a fourth consecutive year, courtesy of a number of ‘tyre toolbags’ to help them with their career adventures.

Nationals’ apprentice scheme is already being heralded as one of the most impressive in the automotive industry, with the Institute of Motor Industry (IMI) recently crowning Connor Bide as its Fast Fit Apprentice of the Year.

Connor is a product of his company’s apprentice scheme, which offers NVQ level 2 training courses and a pathway into a rewarding profession.

Bridgestone was keen to support the vocational offering by way of a branded hold-all for each learner for another year, containing a wide range of equipment to assist in both the classroom and in-branch. National’s Group Training and Development Manager, Graham Atkinson said: “Bridgestone’s continued support means a great deal to us. The brand is synonymous with premium quality, which adds an element of kudos to our offering.

“Bridgestone’s support certainly sets the apprentices off on the right footing and ensures that the company is one of the first they think about as they progress up the business.

“The tyre bags contain many of the tools that will be essential for our new apprentices including Bridgestone branded merchandise, stationery and extensive product and technical information.

Eighteen apprentices will receive vocational training for two years, before qualifying and taking up a permanent position at one of National’s 233 branches across the UK. Since Bridgestone first began supporting National, a total of 54 apprentices have moved through the ranks to become fully fledged technicians.

Graham added: “Bridgestone’s continued support means a great deal to us. The brand is synonymous with premium quality, which is entirely consistent with our offering”

“With our apprentices, we always see an extremely strong work ethic coupled with tremendous enthusiasm to learn. They represent the future and we can’t stress highly enough how important our apprentice programme is for the business as a whole.”

Bridgestone’s training development manager Mark Fereday said: “We are huge believers in developing young talent at Bridgestone, which is why Nationals’ apprentice scheme struck such a chord with us.

“National are a very close, valued customer of ours and we are always keen to support them in any way we can.

“I have seen Nationals’ courses first hand and I have been extremely impressed. They are extremely thorough and we think it is important to be involved with worthy schemes like these when the opportunity arises.”

ENDS