Halfords Autocentres recruit students for local branches

Walsall College’s motor vehicle students were given the opportunity to showcase their employability skills when Halfords Autocentres visited the College to recruit for nine vacancies within their West Midlands branches.

Jen Stevenson, College Recruitment and Relationship Advisor at Halfords, delivered a talk to Level 3 automotive students about work opportunities available with the company.

The car servicing and repair company is currently looking to recruit full-time college students, who are on their way to completing a Level 3 Light Vehicle Maintenance course.

Following the talk, students took part in a series of activities that would enable them to demonstrate their practical skills and professionalism to Centre Managers, including team work, interpersonal skills, communication and health and safety.

Students were assessed on their professionalism, work readiness and their competence to carry out inspection and servicing techniques currently adopted in the automotive industry.

At the end of the session, students completed application forms for the vacancies. Halfords Autocentres have now taken on nine students for the paid roles, with the remaining five students placed in the company’s talent pool for future job opportunities.

Jen Stevenson said: “We’re delighted to work in partnership with an outstanding further education provider, such as Walsall College. This is a chance for students to be part of a growing business, and to embark upon a structured career path with continued development opportunities. They will be an important member of the team, helping us to deliver a great service to our customers, ensuring we continue to build a trusting relationship with them.

Through these roles, they will have access to training that will keep them up-to-date with the latest technologies, and there is career progression both on technical and managerial routes.

The Centre Managers and myself were impressed with the students’ knowledge and work ethic, and we’re excited to develop their potential further.”

Mark Pemberton, Curriculum Manager for Automotive, said: “We invite employers to the college to hold demonstrations to our students, ensuring they gain as much exposure to the industry as possible.

We’re thrilled that Halfords Autocentres have selected Walsall College to recruit from, and we used the session as an opportunity for our students to showcase the skills and understanding they have developed through our curriculum, which is designed to meet industry needs.We look forward to seeing our students’ progress with Halfords Autocentres and for them to provide an outstanding service for the company.”

If you’re interested in recruiting from our talent pool, or would like to speak to us about work placement opportunities, please contact Walsall College on businesstrainingsolutions@walsallcollege.ac.uk