[Ian]

BMW UK needs 12,500 dealership staff by 2010
BMW OFFICIALLY opened its purpose-built training and development facility near Reading on Friday.

It will provide all technical and non-technical training for the BMW, Mini and motorcycle dealer networks and will also be available to BMW Group's employees throughout the UK.

Incorporating a 32 bay workshop, 22 training rooms and showrooms to simulate a working dealer environment, the 5,400 square metre two-storey facility also features a dedicated apprentice training area with its own residential accommodation and a separate clubhouse for the current intake of between 160-170 apprentices per year.

A total of £17m has been invested in the facility.

BMW (UK) Limited has signed a long-term service agreement with Verve Venues (formally known as Initial Style Conferences), the UK training provider to provide its dedicated training facilities.

"In order to meet the growth in BMW and Mini UK sales volumes over the next three years we need to increase the number of people working in our dealerships from 11,000 today to 12,500 by 2010," said UK managing director, Jim O'Donnell. "By providing what we believe are the best training programmes, in the best facility in the industry in the UK, we are confident that we will address this issue."

SOURCE: Autowired

 

[Interloper]

How on earth can they take on apprentices when they do not operate any engineering operations here - it is all assembly. The engine plant at Ham's Hall does not even possess a foundry. Other former indentured operations such as plant maintenance has been outsourced.

Or is it just a nowadays word for sales training?

 

[Ian]

If you have a read through it again, the training site is aimed at the dealer network in order that they can train dealer staff - both sales staff and mechanics.

 

[Chas70]

BMW are approaching this from a sensible viewpoint; it's what German companies do, and it has earned them a reputation for thoroughness. Unfortunately, too many British companies do not take staff development and training seriously enough; it is not cheap and firms often prefer to take on people with previous experience, which all too often does not work out.

The excellent City and Guilds apprenticeships were scrapped in the 1980s because they were not cheap, even though they equipped millions of young people with a trade and therefore a means to earn a living.

 

[Ian]

Training is very much key. The sooner the motor trade as a whole realise it, the better.

 

[streetrover]

A good move for after-sales, but surely when it comes to shifting metal, BMW's don't need any help

 

[V8King]

I visited the facility last year and had a look round - it's in Wokefield Park - the shell was up and first fixings were going in at the time. Nice place although there's a golf course there if you fancy spoiling a walk.

Used to work next door to their Financial Services offices. Always felt a bit proud to be in the solitary 75 in a queue of 3s getting onto the M3

 

[streetrover]

Always felt a bit proud to be in the solitary 75 in a queue of 3s getting onto the M3

Do you mean beemers entering the motorway network, or getting a bit over-friendly with a performance model?

 

[V8King]

Er, have you been watching those Scandinavian special-interest films again streets? You'll go blind you know!