The 93 new recruits, consisting of apprentices, undergraduates and graduates, will be working across different areas of the business. This includes commercial areas such as Sales and Marketing, People and Digital, Finance and Purchasing, as well as the traditional Engineering and Manufacturing departments.
Commenting on Bentley’s future talent, Dr. Astrid Fontaine, Member of the Board for People, Digitalisation and IT, said: “This has quite rightly been a year of celebration, marking the extraordinary achievements this company has made over 100 years, however now is the time to look ahead. The industry is changing faster than ever and so recruiting the engineers, designers, marketeers and digital leaders of the future will be a key part in achieving our objective of becoming the leader in sustainable luxury mobility.”
Discussing the record number of female recruits, with 31 working across the business, Dr. Fontaine continues: “I am particularly proud that we are welcoming our highest ever female intake, 30 per cent, which not only shows the wide range of career opportunities for women in the automotive industry, but what we are achieving on our extraordinary journey to inclusiveness.”
Of the 93 new recruits, almost half, 46 apprentices start training at the company’s headquarters in Crewe, bringing the current number of apprentices in the business to over 130. Supporting the digital transformation of the company, 16 of the 46 are focusing on future digital technologies.
The apprenticeship programme follows a three or three and a half-year Advanced Apprenticeship or a Higher or Degree Level Apprenticeship.
Georgia Griffiths, a former student at Bentley-supported Crewe Engineering and Design UTC, and now a Degree Apprentice specialising in Digital and Technology Solutions, comments: “I’m really pleased to be joining Bentley and I can’t wait to get started. I’ve had my Bentley induction over the past two years really, working on projects as part of my studies at the UTC, but to now be in the business, and working for such an iconic brand, on so many exciting technologies of the future, feeds me with enthusiasm.”
Fourteen graduates will follow a two-year development programme that will see them working across various business functions across the organisation, a starting point for successful business and engineering careers.
The undergraduate scheme, with 33 new recruits, offers a 12-month development programme focused on degree students looking to complete a year out as part of their studies.
History of apprenticeships
Reinforcing Bentley’s long association with apprentices, the company’s founder, W.O. Bentley himself left school in 1905 at the age of 16 to start work as an Apprentice Engineer with the Great Northern Railway. In 1919, he founded Bentley Motors in Cricklewood, north of London starting a legacy of inspiring great people to design and build cars for its discerning customers.
As well as its founder, Bentley’s longest serving colleague, Noel Thompson, started as an apprentice in 1969, this year celebrating his 50th working anniversary.
Noel was one of 60 fellow apprentices to arrive on the shop-floor of the factory that year, where he spent 12 months receiving rotation training across various divisions, predominantly within engineering, before specialising in coach-trimming, a role he still occupies today.
This level of commitment and recognition to apprenticeships continues with the company this year named as the UK’s Top Employer in the Automotive Industry by the School Leavers awards for the second consecutive year.
