Toyota and Lexus have presented 28 certificates to graduates at its Apprentice of the Year awards 2011/2012.

The event organised by the Toyota and Lexus Academy in Nottingham and hosted at Toyota’s Burnaston factory in Derbyshire formally confirms their status as fully qualified service technicians, body and paint technicians and parts and service advisors at dealerships across the UK.

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 in the annual Toyota and Lexus Apprentice of the Year competition, which took place this year on May 11 at the Toyota and Lexus Academy.

The finalists, who qualified for a place in the final through preliminary testing. 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 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.