Halford rolls out pilot scheme with Autotech Academy across UK sites

A pilot scheme between Halfords and Autotech Academy is being rolled out across Halford’s UK sites.

Halfords is working with Autotech Academy to source and place newly qualified vehicle technicians in paid internships across its network of 600 UK Autocentres.

The pilot, which began in April, has already led to the permanent appointment of one intern, Jabbar Hussain within Halfords Autocentre Cotteridge, with many more expected to follow suit once the internship periods comes to an end.

Head of quality at Halfords Autocentres, Andy Turbefield MSc FIMI, said: “As an industry, we need to bite the bullet and create opportunities for young people, the talent pool we are all fishing in is getting shallower and we need to examine all avenues.

“We have worked with Autotech Group in the past, and I was interested to hear about their Academy division when it launched last year. It is certainly taking the pain of recruiting newly qualified vehicle technicians away and enhancing our recruitment streams with a minimal amount of investment.”

The initiative is also supporting Halford’s bid to create a more diverse workforce with more female interns coming through, it said.

Turbefield added: “We need to reflect the communities we serve, and a large proportion are women, so it is fantastic to see the percentage of females signing up for automotive courses increase. We just need to ensure that these skills are transferred to the industry and create opportunities for them, which Autotech Academy is doing.”