7:23 am, June 25, 2023
Dealer group LSH Auto is set to welcome three apprentices from the other side of the world as part of a cultural and career development tour taking place next month.
The Car Dealer Top 100 firm will be hosting a trio of young up-and-coming automotive stars from Australia in a bid to expand their knowledge and share insights with their colleagues.
Madeline Chamberlin, 27, Daphne O’Meara, 23, and Alex Raffone, 21, will arrive from down under next Friday, before staying for the week-long experience.
As part of their tour, they will be meeting young people in Stockport who may be interested in pursuing an apprenticeship themselves.
LSH will also be hosting a careers fair on July 4, where all three Aussie apprentices will be on hand to chat with attendees.
Ian Williams, head of human Resources for LSH Auto, said: ‘We are looking forward to welcoming Maddie, Daphne and Alex as the winners of the LSH Auto Scholarship 2023.
‘They are all outstanding apprentices who have shown passion and commitment, and they all have their own inspirational stories that we look forward to sharing with our UK apprentices and young people who come along to our careers fair at the start of July.
‘We would also like to thank our LSH Auto colleagues in Australia and their partner WPC for organising the scholarship.’
As well as attending the careers fair, the three overseas imports will spend time working alongside the aftersales and parts teams at Mercedes-Benz of Stockport and Mercedes-Benz of Birmingham, to gain hands-on experience with operational work in the UK.
To round off their trip, they will stay at the Brooklands Hotel in Surrey and spend a day at Mercedes-Benz World enjoying a driving experience before heading to London.
Daphne O’Meara said: ‘I would love to further my career at LSH Auto Australia, perhaps to become a service advisor and eventually a workshop manager.
‘I’ve learnt a lot during my apprenticeship, and I now see more opportunity for myself than ever before. It’s an honour and a privilege to represent LSH Auto Australia whilst in the UK.’
It is hoped the unique tour will encourage others to take up apprenticeships within the motor trade.
Becky Pitt, talent acquisition specialist at LSH Auto, said: ‘We have a number of apprenticeship positions available across our dealerships and would urge anybody considering a career in the automotive industry to come along to our event on Tuesday, July 4.
‘Our careers fair will provide the perfect opportunity to meet some of our existing apprentices, including our Australian guests, to get a real insight into the various roles that are available.
‘Visitors will also have a ‘behind-the-scenes’ tour of our state-of-the art facilities to see where they could be working.
‘Becoming an apprentice is a great way to earn money and a qualification whilst gaining invaluable real-life experience of the career you’re interested in.
‘We currently have 65 apprentices working at our Mercedes-Benz dealerships in Stockport, Macclesfield, Whitefield, Birmingham, Solihull, and Tamworth.
‘We offer three courses, all with NVQ Level 3 qualifications as Apprentice Customer Experience Partners, Apprentice Parts Specialists and Apprentice Technicians.’
Pictured: Briar Ferguson, head of strategic aftersales at LSH Auto Australia; Alex Raffone, parts apprentice based at Mercedes-Benz Melbourne and Daphne O’Meara, light vehicle apprentice, based at Mercedes-Benz Melbourne Airport
