IMI Magazine

Training with the 'B' team.

In 1980, 16-year-old Nigel Lofkin left school and started as an apprentice at the Rolls-Royce Bentley factory. Nigel was a Crewe lad, as were all the teenagers starting with him, and they earned £33 a week. "It was a local business," recalled Nigel. "The man who taught me milling grew up in the same street as me. That's how it was. We went round the different sections in the first year, to give us a flavour of all the trades in the company."

Today's apprentices still make the same journey through the factory to see what they're good at and what they enjoy. But that's where the similarities end. The Pyms Lane plant has changed beyond recognition, is German owned - ironic given it assembled Merlin aero engines for Spitfires during WWII - and there's no more R-R involvement.

Ian Grant, Bentley's development officer for apprenticeships, explained: "In the old days, it was learning through an informal process of passing on information and skills from one generation to the next. There were no recognised qualifications. Today, apprenticeships are an excellent alternative to staying in school and going to university.

"And with an apprenticeship course, you will be learning a trade, earning money and not racking up debt." Ian is also living proof of the firm's local heritage. After the war, his grandfather was the first instructor in the training scheme that was later to become the apprenticeship programme.

Full intake
With the launch of the all-new Mulsanne saloon, it's a busy time for Bentley. Fifty apprentices are currently on a three or four-year programme run in conjunction with local training provider Total People. They're learning everything from engineering and traditional skills with wood and leather to logistics and marketing. The value the company places on its future employees is clear to see: Despite a 50 per cent drop in global sales last year, there was a full intake of 14 youngsters last spring, just as there will be this year. Applications close on 13 May.

Bentley's expertise in the field is recognised as one of the UK's best. Last year the firm was ApprentiWce Employer of the Year for the north-west and finished in the top three nationally. Nick Weir, a recent graduate of the Bentley scheme and 2009 Volkswagen Group Apprentice of the Year, was invited to speak at Downing Street at an industry summit hosted by Gordon Brown.

Julia Gill, Bentley's development manager for trainees and a former apprentice herself, said: "When I started in 1984, there was a lot of photocopying and filing. It's not like that anymore. There's core training that gets apprentices involved in all sorts of things and they're contributing from day one."

That includes charity work, attending careers fairs at local schools and getting involved with the Bentley Experience team, which gives tours of the 68-acre site. Working in a dealership can also be part of the programme. Charlotte Gough, 19, is a third year NVQ3 electrical engineering apprentice and about to spend a fortnight at the flagship Jack Barclay showroom in London. "I'm really excited to see the sales side because it's something new for me," she said.

Upping sticks
About 10 per cent of applications are from women, a figure which is echoed in the number who make it on to the programme. Charlotte is an interesting case because - in contrast to the days recalled by Nigel Lofkin when recruitment was confined to youngsters living locally - she upped sticks from St Neots, Cambridgeshire, having started A-levels and then realising they weren't for her. "I wasn't enjoying it and was attracted by the idea of working for Bentley without really appreciating I'd have to move across the country. Perhaps I was naïve, but I've no regrets. The best bit is that I've learned so much from the older people here, the stuff just spills out of them."

It's a view echoed by Chris Kerry, 18, from Burton-on-Trent, Staffordshire. He's doing a junior engineer apprenticeship with a foundation degree in electric/electronic engineering. "Many of the people have been here a long time, and when they can teach you something based on their years of experience it makes learning very easy."

Louis Warburton, 20, is doing an NVQ3 in engineering leadership with a foundation degree in mechanical engineering. With around 500 applications for 14 places this year, he illustrates how competition for places is tough, but perseverance pays off. "I applied once but didn't even get as far as an interview. After taking a year's course in motor vehicle maintenance at college, I reapplied and got in."

Julia Gill makes the point that the apprenticeship scheme is very versatile. "It's not a 'one-size-fits-all' experience. The goal is that in four years' time we need a particular type of person for the company - and the framework is fixed - but how we get there is entirely flexible."

She uses a recent experience as evidence. As part of the VW Group, a Bentley apprenticeship means the opportunity to work in Germany. Louis had the chance to go, but because of the project he was involved with, it was actually more beneficial for him to stay at Crewe. His loss was Charlotte's gain - she went in his place - and he will get another chance.

More confidence
Charlotte, Louis and Chris all acknowledge that the apprenticeship experience is making them more rounded individuals. "It's definitely given me more confidence. I've grown up pretty quickly, but standing up in front of a group to give a presentation makes you do that," said Charlotte.

Thirty years ago, Nigel Lofkin settled in the coach-trimming department, but is now involved with the Bentley Experience team. "Some of the guys I started with are still here today. But with the qualifications I had at the time, I wouldn't get on to the apprenticeship scheme today. The standard is so much higher," he said.

Other views
Philip Penkeyman, 17, trim development apprentice, from Crewe, Cheshire: "About three years ago I came here for work experience from school and learned about the apprenticeship scheme. I've always enjoyed drawing and designing things, so when I was taking my GCSEs it was something I thought about."

Graham Roberts, 17, woodshop apprentice, from Sandbach, Cheshire: "I'll be honest and say this wasn't my first choice of department to be in, but I'm happy enough here. I'm learning core skills that in six months' time I might be able to transfer to other departments."

Eliot New, 20, engineering apprentice, from Alsager, Cheshire: "I'm hoping to take part in the 2011 World Skills competition in London, doing CNC milling. Last year I went to the event in Calgary, Canada, to watch Chris Coates, another Bentley apprentice, compete."

Report by Richard Yarrow