An innovative apprenticeship partnership between Nescot college and car dealership Shelly Motors was formally launched by Grayling on Friday January 23.

The scheme sees Nescot Motor Vehicle Maintenance apprentices being taught one day a week by a Shelly Motors trainer at the company’s Felstead Road garage, and spending the rest in paid employment.

Chris cut a ribbon at Shelly Motors to declare the partnership with Nescot officially open, and spoke of the importance of apprenticeships to students and employers across Epsom and beyond.

“Apprenticeships are crucial to building the skills we need as a country, and the motor industry is both vital to us and offers valuable career opportunities,” said Chris. “This is a great new venture for Nescot, Shelly Motors and for our area.”

Carol Martin, Deputy Principal at Nescot, said: “Apprenticeships are a great way for people of all ages to get excellent work experience and valuable qualifications as well as having a paid job.

“We work closely with local and national employers, and they tell us they need employees with skills such as communication, problem solving, team work and time management – all of which our apprentices develop very quickly.

“Nescot offers apprenticeships in a whole host of sectors, from Accountancy and Business Administration to university-level courses like Combat Systems Engineering and Electrical Installation and we’re thrilled to add Motor Vehicle Maintenance to our portfolio.”

Shelly Motors, Surrey’s flagship Kia dealership, was established by Jack Shelly in Hawaii in the 1950s. His grandson Andrew started washing cars aged 15, and is now Managing Director of the firm.

“Shelly Motors is a family business, and we have always taken pride in investing in our business and in future generations,” said Mr Shelly.

“We are proud to work alongside Nescot and our young people to create a highly-skilled and talented workforce for the future. The courses are a great opportunity for students to earn and learn at the same time.”

Nescot is running a two-year Level 2 course and an 18-month Level 3 course, with apprentices also attending the college to take classes such as English and maths.

Anyone who passes the minimum entry requirements but doesn’t have a relevant full-time job can contact Nescot’s REED NCFE Centre, where staff help current and prospective students find and apply for jobs.

An apprenticeship enables anyone aged 16 and over to learn a profession by combining knowledge and skills gained in the classroom with practical experience in the workplace, and take one to four years to complete.

Nescot offers intermediate, advanced and university-level apprenticeships in subjects from IT, Management and Customer Service to Barbering, Sports and Construction.

For more information about the apprenticeship, or to apply, call Dr Mohan Chana on 020 8394 3347 or email mchana@nescot.ac.uk, and to find out more about Nescot’s REED NCFE Centre call 020 8394 3051 or email reed-ncfe@nescot.ac.uk