The largest number of graduates, 139, begin apprenticships and industrial placements in Bentley’s history.

• Over 135 trainees begin Bentley career this week
• The largest number of graduates, apprentices and industrial placements in Bentley’s history
• Investment in future talent supports Bentley’s skills development programme 

Bentley Motors has welcomed 139 graduates, apprentices and industrial placement students this week, the company’s highest intake in history.

The new recruits cover roles in every Bentley department, from engineering to manufacturing, and sales and marketing to human resources. All new trainees will begin with a formal induction, before commencing their respective programmes.

Welcoming the new recruits, Marlies Rogait, Member of the Board for Human Resources at Bentley Motors, said: “I join the rest of the business in welcoming our new trainees to Bentley and I feel proud that this is our largest ever intake, demonstrating our dedication and commitment to skills development and investing in the talent of the future.

“These programmes will give them a solid foundation upon which to build the skills and knowledge required to become skilled professionals and experts in their chosen field.”

Bentley has created over 1,000 jobs in the past two years and was recently named as a Top Employer for the fourth consecutive year, praised for its focus on skills development within its workforce.

Annabelle Wain, who joined this week as an apprentice working in the manufacturing department, commented: “I’m really pleased to be joining Bentley and begin the next step in my career. I’ve read all about the new SUV, Bentley Bentayga and after the initial time in the classroom as part of the apprenticeship, I can’t wait to get started working on the new car.”     

The apprenticeship programme offers an invaluable way of gaining recognised qualifications while undertaking key training at Bentley, for three or four years, dependent on which area the apprentice is working in.  

The majority of apprentices will be undertaking the manufacturing programme, learning skills within areas such as wood, leather, paint and mechatronics. The first year of their programme will be theoretical learning at South Cheshire College, before working in practical areas of manufacturing at Bentley.

Bentley’s graduate scheme is a two year development programme where recruits are given the opportunity to work on business projects, working in a specific department, or across a number of functions.

The industrial placement scheme offers a 12-month development programme focused on undergraduate degree students looking to complete a year out in industry as part of their studies.

Recruitment for the next intake of graduates will start later this month, with apprentice and industrial placement positions open in March 2016.