Five minutes with: Andrew Mallery, Training Operations Director, Mercedes-Benz UK

We spoke to Andrew Mallery, Training Operations Director, Mercedes-Benz UK about what initiatives led to the firm taking the winning title of the BAE System Large Employer of the Year Award at the National Apprenticeship Awards 2016…

How did you achieve the title ‘Large Employer of the Year’?

As a business, we’re committed to boosting our apprenticeships, and we’ve grown our apprentice intake by 98% in the last four years. Last year we recruited 253 apprentices into a range of roles within the business. Our apprentice programme attracts a high proportion of females compared to the national average. Women make up six per cent of our apprentice intake, in comparison to the UK average of 2.5% for the automotive sector.

Why is it important to run apprenticeships?