Equal Opportunities for All

We have been working with two automotive charities, First Step Trust (“FST”) and more recently with the Palmer Foundation. Both charities specialise in supporting people that through various personal difficulties may not have had the opportunity to gain employment. In June 2022, our relationship with FST benefited one of their learners who became a full-time Fitter at our Woolwich Autocentre. The Palmer Foundation, led by former Aston Martin CEO and Nissan COO, Dr Andy Palmer, aims to offer apprenticeships to young people from disadvantaged backgrounds, by working with employers to ensure they get the support the need throughout their career.

In creating the Future Automotive Skills Training (FAST) programme, we have brought these two charities together, along with London Southeast College group and the Institute of the Motor Industry, to provide a pathway to those who ordinarily, would have been left out of worthwhile employment, and certainly with no hope of a meaningful career. Using cutting edge learning platforms such as Virtual Reality, we are developing innovative new ways for people to engage in learning, who otherwise could not. The project aims to place between 10 and 20 young people in our Autocentres this year, with the aim of them becoming full time Halfords colleagues. By developing this innovative way of recruiting new talent, we are creating opportunity for people from more diverse backgrounds, helping to develop more inclusive teams and ensuring that our garages represent the communities that they serve.