ILC ARTICLE

AkzoNobel backs AW apprenticeship event

25th January 2022

AkzoNobel helped tackled the skills shortage in the UK automotive incident aftermarket by supporting AW Repair Group host an apprenticeship event which attracted more than 200 young people.

The full-day event was held at AW Group’s Lincoln site to showcase the sector to new talent, and has resulted in 17 apprentices joining the repair group.

Steve Hoe, Technical Development and VM Executive at AW Repair Group, said: “With the skills shortage continuing to grow due to an ageing workforce, we need to continue to recruit young, talented people into our industry. The fast-paced developments in vehicle technology are a real attraction, and we wanted to demonstrate this with an event to educate and entice new talent.

“It was a massive benefit to have AkzoNobel join us on the day. Developments in paint technology such as low-bake clearcoats, air-drying products and UV primers make significant time savings and are integral to the growing electric vehicle market. Attendees had a real interest in AkzoNobel’s live demonstrations, with some returning to their stand several times.”

Mick Finch, Technical Coordinator at AkzoNobel, added: “It’s excellent that AW Repair Group takes the time to support our future workforce by investing heavily in its apprenticeship scheme. We are delighted to have supported such an engaging and interactive event.”