LKQ Bodyshop delivers practical skills with Apprentice+
LKQ Bodyshop has unveiled Apprentice+, an IMI-certified training programme developed to provide hands-on experience to young learners.
Designed to complement existing apprenticeships, Apprentice+ offers practical experience across the full repair journey to better prepare apprentices for the workshop.
Held at the LKQ Academy in Tamworth in partnership with 3M, U-POL, DeVilbiss, Laser-PowerTec, and Mirka, Apprentice+ consists of six practical pathways.
- Health and safety
- Panel repair
- Paint
- Mechanical, electrical and trim
- Quality control
- Profitability and sustainability
Participants will complete assessments at the end of each pathway to demonstrate their learning, while four additional e-learning modules cover hybrid and electric vehicle awareness, workshop safety, hand-arm vibration awareness, and Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH).
Future talent
Jodie Mullard, director of customer strategy at LKQ, said: “The industry has been clear that apprentices need more opportunities to put their learning into practice and develop the broad skills required in a modern bodyshop. We developed Apprentice+ to respond directly to this demand.
“The programme offers exceptional value for bodyshops looking to invest in their future talent, combining practical training, assessment and peer learning, with selected tools and equipment provided by leading sector suppliers to support apprentices after the programme.
“The skills gap is a challenge for the whole sector, and no single business can solve it alone. Our role is to connect apprentices with the people and organisations that can nurture their talent and help build a strong pipeline of capable professionals.”
Skills
Lee Smedley, technical training and development manager at LKQ, added: “Apprentice+ has been informed by my experience mentoring LKQ’s apprentices, as well as conversations with bodyshops and apprentices who have trained at LKQ Academy.
“The programme is designed to give them an experience that we regularly hear they value: the chance to make mistakes and build skills in a supportive environment. It will expose participants to the full repair journey and help them understand how different bodyshop disciplines work together and allow them to learn from everyone around them.
“By assessing apprentices at the end of each pathway, we can also help them recognise how far they’ve progressed, and then also where there’s room for that little bit of further development.”
LKQ will welcome the first two cohorts of eight apprentices in September, with further intakes expected at the start of 2027.
