Second year apprentice, Stephen Gomm has been honoured by being appointed as a Coachmakers Automotive Apprentice. To celebrate this appointment, representatives of The Worshipful Company of Coachmakers visited Xtrac to present their award, along with Xtrac’s CEO Adrian Moore, to Stephen on Friday 7^th December.

Stephen is the first Coachmakers Automotive Apprentice to be appointed by The Coachmakers, a City of London Livery company which prides itself on being an active investor in young people and has launched three new apprenticeships across the aerospace, automotive and coachmaking sectors.

The apprentices are selected by their employers by a broad spread of criteria, including their achievements both at and outside work. Those selected are put forward and after a selection process are confirmed as Coachmakers Apprentices.

Stephen Gomm is the first of what is hoped to be a long line of high-achieving apprentices who will be managers and leaders of the future. Gomm impressed the Coachmakers panel by his straightforward manner, clear knowledge about and enthusiasm for his work and by demonstrating an indication of his future success.

“I count it a real privilege to have been selected by the Coachmakers as one of the apprentices they wish to follow and support through training.” Said Gomm, who continued, “It was a privilege to meet their representatives and to be presented with the cheque which will help to fund my studies. I am looking forward to seeing how the relationship between Xtrac and the Coachmakers develops and my part in it over the next few years.”

Xtrac has been and continues to be extremely committed to the development of young people through their apprentice and undergraduate programmes and this was heavily endorsed by the recent visit of Prime Minister Theresa May, who spent a large part of her factory tour talking to past and current apprentices.

Joe Greenwell, Xtrac’s Chairman, himself a Coachmaker said “The Coachmakers share the same values as Xtrac in supporting and developing young people and the financial support which they have awarded to Stephen, to aid and support him with his studies, has been extremely well received. Their support isn’t just financial though, as the Coachmakers will continue to be engaged with Stephen during his studies and continue once he is qualified.”

In the course of the visit of John Blauth, Lesley Upham and Ali Taylor to Xtrac, Stephen lead them on a factory tour and in particular demonstrated his recently acquired inspection skills by measuring a Formula One shaft using the latest hi-tech inspection equipment. During the visit John Blauth said “Xtrac epitomises everything that is great about high value manufacturing in the UK and the company’s continual investment in young people, along with the recent major investment into the facility extension, puts it in a great place for the future.”

Adrian Moore, who accompanied the Coachmakers on the tour of the facility, said “We welcome the additional support from the Coachmakers which bolsters our already successful apprentice programme. We are committed to developing young people to give us the workforce of the future as we move into an electrified automotive world where workers with key technical skills and the ability to innovate will be at a premium”.