Business in Newbury - BMW academy get a visit from Skills boss

BMW academy get a visit from Skills boss

Prior to the re-launch of the UK Commission for Employment and Skills, Chief Executive, Chris Humphries recently visited the Mortimer based motoring academy.

Mr Humphries was given the tour of the BMW Group’s £17 million training facility, which was set up to deal with issues concerning the gaps in the levels of skill in the automotive trade and also to iron out the poor perception of the motor trade.

The modern day academy runs a variety of technical and management classes for its 150 BMW, Mini and motorcycle dealerships in the UK. With two-stories, 32 bay workshops, 15 training rooms and accommodation for a capacity of between 80-100 apprentices per year, its no wonder the academy is receiving attention from the motor trade.

During his visit to the Wokefield Park site, the UK CES boss conversed with trainers, directors and apprentices, including trainee’s who had achieved the Automotive Technician Accreditation Standard.

Mr Humphries commented that the BMW site was a practical example of what the commission would like to see happen across all sectors. He was also impressed with the efforts made to recruit more women into the industry and the support given to those who had previously struggled with education.

Education officials from Ofsted have described the academy as “world class”.

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