Bentley’s Apprentice of Year, and also Volkswagen Group Apprentice of the Year 2018, was Phoebe Jay, a former Paint Apprentice, who is now working in the Paintshop Launch team at Bentley Motors.
“I gained a lot of knowledge and experience over the four-year programme, allowing me to pursue my technical, academic and personal development goals in a structured way. It’s given me the confidence to succeed and continue my development at Bentley, and I’m very excited about the possible opportunities open to me in the future,” said Phoebe.
Bentley Motors has launched its 2019 Apprentice recruitment campaign with 51 new positions to start in the autumn (Northern Hemisphere) of 2019. To apply for one of the Apprentice opportunities, visit www.bentleycareers.com
Opportunities cover areas including Digital, Sales and Marketing, Human Resources, Finance, Purchasing, as well as Engineering and Manufacturing. The structured digital career path will offer technical, academic and hands-on experiences to support the digital transformation of the company.
“The apprenticeship programme is existential to secure and develop the future talent at Bentley. In the rapidly changing world of automotive, mobility and services, we are proud to deepen the existing digital experiences that already exist as part of the programme, by launching pure digital apprenticeship positions,” said Dr. Astrid Fontaine, Member of the Board for People, Digitalisation and IT at Bentley Motors
“It is vital as we transform our business that we look to the next generation of experts and cultivate an agile mind-set, focused on creative solutions and innovations. This will support the future-proof of the Bentley business and engage the luxury customer of tomorrow,” added Dr Fontaine.
The Bentley Apprenticeship programme continues to be recognised for its commitment to personal and skill development, with the company recently announced as the Top Employer in the UK for School Leavers by the School Leavers Awards, voted for solely by Apprentices. Bentley was also ranked as the Best Employer in the Automotive Industry for School Leavers.
The 15 digital Apprentices will support Bentley’s continued focus on digital transformation within the enterprise, across the products and enhancing services and experiences for customers. Two recent luxury service examples of this can be seen in the Bentley Network app and the 5G-equivalent Advanced Connectivity system. The Bentley Network app allows customers to connect with each other in a members-only, luxury digital ecosystem, with direct messaging, exclusive content and the latest Bentley news.
The Advanced Connectivity offer is the world’s first super-fast, reliable and secure in-car WiFi system which means customers can now benefit from uninterrupted mobile network coverage while travelling; delivering a ground-breaking system – with near-5G speeds – providing a fully functioning and fully connected executive office on the move.
In manufacturing, where approximately half of the Apprentices will work, the 25 successful candidates will learn skills in areas such as Wood, Paint and Mechatronics. Their programme will include academic studies with educational partners as well as on the job learning to develop their skills.
The new apprentices may even get to work on the Bentayga Speed the world’s fastest production SUV. This new Bentayga features an enhanced 635 PS (626 bhp) version of the renowned 6.0-litre W12 engine that delivers a top speed of 190 mph (306 km/h) and 0–62 mph (0–100 km/h) in 3.9 seconds!
Designed, engineered and handcrafted in Great Britain, the Bentayga Speed is the most powerful and performance-oriented Bentayga to date. It builds on a long tradition of Speed models that was born with the Continental GT in 2007 and pushes the boundaries of Bentayga performance further since claiming the production SUV record at the gruelling Pikes Peak International Hill Climb last year.
We drove the Bentayga V8 and were very impressed by the turn of speed it had, so the new version must be something very special! Visit your preferred Bentley dealer for more information on the Bentayga Speed.
Photographs by Bentley Motors.