Toyota Celebrates Apprentices’ Achievements
Talent rewarded in graduation ceremony and apprentice of the year awards
Toyota has been rewarding the brightest and best young talent in its training academy and workshops with its annual graduation ceremony and Apprentice of the Year awards.
Young men and women who have completed their Toyota and Lexus training enjoyed a graduation day that mixed presentation formalities with fun activities. The group of 28 were joined by their families for the occasion, organised by the Toyota and Lexus Academy in Nottingham (Toyota’s central UK training facility) and hosted at Toyota’s Burnaston factory in Derbyshire in May. Francesco Mereu, Toyota HR Director, presented certificates to the graduating apprentices, formally confirming their status as fully qualified service technicians, body and paint technicians and parts and service advisors.
The day also included a fun driving challenge to test skill and accuracy at the wheel of a Toyota Aygo, with a benchmark score set by The Stig, a surprise guest at the occasion.
The 2011/2012 Toyota and Lexus graduates are: –
Daniel Aspinall Vantage Knaresborough
Mark Baines Lindop Bros, Queensferry
Carl Banning Sims Toyota, Northampton
Anthony Blears RRG Bury
Sam Burness Octagon Bracknell
Matthew Crame Lexus Swindon
Joseph Dalton RRG Altrincham
Jack Dodsley Lexus Leicester
Phillip Donaghey Sims Toyota, Northampton
David Freeman Lookers Rayleigh
James Gascoigne Ron Brooks Macclesfield
Daniel Goodson Dingles Toyota (Norfolk and Suffolk)
Alex Hands Charles Clark Wolverhampton
Daniel Hardy Marshalls of Peterborough
Timothy Hart Pentagon Doncaster
Karl Jones Motorline (Kent, Surrey and Sussex)
Martin Jones Lexus Milton Keynes
Sean Kennedy Lexus Coventry
James Logue Marshall of Peterborough
Rebecca Marsh Gordon Lamb Chesterfield
Robert McNeill Lexus Sidcup
Christian Medina Curries Twickenham
Stuart Neary H.W. Moon, Wigan
Marshall Shipley Pinkstones, Stoke on Trent
Ruth Stafford Farmer and Carlisle, Lougborough
Mark Strong Lexus Reading
Daniel Taylor Lexus Newcastle
Naren Vajesang Jemca Edgware Road
Apprentice of the Year
Practical and theory skills are tested to the limit in the annual Toyota and Lexus Apprentice of the Year competition, which took place this year on 11 May at the Toyota and Lexus Academy.
The finalists, who qualified for a place in the final through preliminary testing, got to know each other at a pre-event dinner the night before the competition. On the day each was required to complete four 40-minute tasks relevant to their work as service technicians, body and paint technicians or parts advisors. Testing took place at work stations, monitored by managers, trainers and assessors.
The intense testing over, all participants were able to relax by taking part in an endurance karting competition, prior to an evening awards presentation, hosted by Paul Craven, General Manager of the Toyota Academy.
The 2012 winners are: –
Service Technician
Year 1 Thomas Hurn Dingles Toyota
Year 2 Ben Rollison Listers Toyota Attleborough
Year 3 James Gearing Octagon Toyota Reading
Overall winner James Gearing
Parts Advisor
Year 2 Don Sabatino RRG Salford Quays
Year 3 Tom Roe Lexus Hull
Overall winner Tom Roe
Body and Paint Technician
Overall winner Andrew McPhie RRG Bolton Accident and Repair Centre
All competitors received a commemorative medal and year winners were presented with a trophy and digital camera. The three overall winners received a trophy, a Blackberry tablet and a personally engraved silver trophy, which they retain for a year.
