Suzuki GB has hosted a graduation event for 24 participants in its 36-month Advanced Apprenticeship Programme at the Rockingham Motor Speedway in Northamptonshire.

Now in its fifteenth year, the latest intake to the scheme saw the group of automobile, motorcycle and ATV technicians from across the UK successfully completed the course, which provides full-time employment and mentoring at a Suzuki dealership, as well as expert tuition at the Bosch-run state-of-the-art Doncaster training centre.

A total of 18 of the 24 graduates collected their certificates from Suzuki GB’s managing director, Nobuo Suyama, and director of aftersales, Denis Houston, at the event, which was also attended by 100 guests.

Houston said: “The graduation of the apprentices is a special moment in their career as it is the culmination of three years’ hard work which has been designed to give them the very best start to their professional journeys.

“The young trainees have put in a considerable amount of time and effort to arrive at this point, whilst building their skillsets and gaining a valuable insight into what it takes to deliver an exemplary high standard of service to today’s Suzuki customers.

“This would not have been possible without the extensive level of support from our nationwide dealer network for which we are very grateful.”

Throughout their practical, hands-on learning programme, participants in the Suzuki GB Advanced Apprenticeship Programme from across the country, who this year spanned Devon in the south, to Dumfries in the north, are rewarded with mentoring and full-time employment at a Suzuki dealership that has also committed to paying for their apprentice’s training and qualifications.

Amongst many other benefits, individuals equally receive one week’s tuition every two months at the £1.5 million state-of-the-art Bosch-run training centre training facility in Doncaster (South Yorkshire), which was formally unveiled earlier this year, as well as a fully structured career path.

The 18 apprentice technicians who attended the ceremony at Rockingham were:

Automobile division

Lewis Bicker Sportif Suzuki, Witney (Oxfordshire)

Ryan Cook Lanehouse Suzuki, Weymouth (Dorset)

Lucas Edwards Stoneacre Suzuki Stoke (Staffordshire)

Charles Gill Chapelhouse Suzuki Stockport (Greater Manchester)

Benjamin Neve Eastbourne Suzuki (East Sussex)

Lewis Owen Stoneacre Ackworth Suzuki, Pontefract (West Yorkshire)

Robert Plowman Cropleys Suzuki, Boston (Lincolnshire)

Craig Ruthven Border Cars, Dumfries (Scotland)

Lauren Sarantino Quay Auto Centre, Kingsbridge (Devon)

Motorcycle division

Joshua Beddis Frasers of Gloucester (Gloucestershire)

Paul Belfield A&D Motorcycles, Denbigh (North Wales)

Mitchell Betts Two Wheel Centre, Mansfield (Nottinghamshire)

James Newall 5-Ways Motorcycles Centre, Kingston Upon Hull (East Riding of Yorkshire)

James Scott Two Wheel Centre, Mansfield (Nottinghamshire)

Joe Skellern Single Tracker Motorcycles, Crewe (Cheshire)

James Wilkinson SPS Motox, Melton Mowbray (Leicestershire)

ATV division

Callum Gates Antony Betts, Leighton Buzzard (Bedfordshire)

Paul Swinbank H Pigney & Son, Appleby-in-Westmorland (Cumbria)