CV technicians being recruited by Enterprise to meet surge in demand

Enterprise Flex-E-Rent is recruiting more than 100 new technicians and has expanded its technician training programme.

The recruitment drive is part of its on-going efforts to increase the number of mechanics working at its 28 depots around the UK and develop its repair and maintenance capabilities.

The company’s training programme now provides career planning and training for every technician, which currently collectively equates to 3,500 and 4,000 training hours every month.

As well as increasing its technician workforce, Enterprise Flex-E-Rent has invested more than £1 million in diagnostic and workshop equipment across its depots over the past couple of years and is now certified to handle warranty repairs for Ford and Mercedes commercial vehicles.

The rental company is also developing capability for maintaining and repairing electric vans, with more than 500 of these vehicles now available through the Enterprise Flex-E-Rent fleet. Across its wider fleet Enterprise has around 3,000 electric vehicles (EVs).

This investment in people, training and equipment has seen recent average vehicle off-road times (VOR) for Enterprise Flex-E-Rent vehicles at its in-house workshop network fall to around two-thirds of that seen for its vehicles in OEM and dealership repair facilities.

James Walker, group service maintenance and repair manager at Enterprise Flex-E-Rent, said: “Our goal is to build an exceptional technical and maintenance resource internally to provide our customers with lower off-road times and help businesses get their vehicles back as soon as possible.

“The key element is bringing in and developing the best automotive brains in the UK. Investment in people is at the core of Enterprise’s business, supported by investing heavily in our workshop infrastructure and parts supply chain.”

He added: “We’re looking to recruit more great technicians to meet increasing customer demand, from entry-level apprentices to mechanics with some experience wanting to reskill.

"We’re expanding our rigorous training programme to help ensure they have the skills and knowledge required to work on anything from a plug-in electric van to a traffic management vehicle to a 44-tonne refrigerated HGV.”