DAF Apprentice Mathew Hands, from DAF Dealer Brian Currie in Bedford, has emerged victorious at the national WorldSkills UK National Final at the NEC, winning a gold medal.

Claire Weller from Adams Morey in Portsmouth won the Silver medal, making it a one-two finish for DAF, with both sharing top spots on the podium in the Heavy Vehicle Technology category.

WorldSkills UK is a government-funded initiative which promotes apprenticeships and technical education with the ambition of inspiring young people to consider the various vocational career pathways.

DAF Trucks managing director Laurence Drake, said: “We’re extremely proud of all three of our DAF Apprentices at the WorldSkills UK Final.

“We’re especially thrilled for Mathew and Claire bringing home Gold and Silver medals.

“The WorldSkills UK event has really put DAF front-of-mind for the thousands of students who visited our stand.

“The excellent work from our MOTUS and Ford & Slater apprentice teams helped deliver a clear message that DAF is a dynamic, forward-thinking and technologically advanced manufacturer.”

WorldSkills UK LIVE is the country’s largest apprenticeships, skills and careers event covering four core industry sectors; Health, Hospitality & Lifestyle, Construction & Infrastructure, Engineering & Technology and Digital, Business & Creative.

DAF Trucks enjoyed a significant presence at the event, with its dealership-style exhibition stand kitted-out with workshop equipment and live demonstrations, and against the backdrop of DAF’s crowd-pulling 530bhp XF Showtrekker tractor unit.

Apprentice teams from DAF Dealer groups Ford & Slater and MOTUS Commercials played a key in role in showing students the huge range of career opportunities that exist in a modern truck dealership.

Now in its 24th year, the DAF Apprenticeship Programme continues to produce both highly skilled workshop technicians and qualified Service and parts personnel, setting them up for successful careers within the DAF organisation.

To date, well in excess of 2000 young people have graduated through the DAF Apprenticeship Programme, while approximately 40% of all DAF Dealer Technicians are a product of the programme.

Author: Kenneth Brown
Web producer

A writer, journalist, marketer and social media manager with a degree in English and History, Kenneth became a professional writer in 2011. In 2014 he started his own business covering business events, world title boxing fights, plus tutoring, a year-long charity role for Peterborough’s disability community and working at the Crop Protection Association. Kenneth is content producer for Bauer Media’s AM and Fleet News brands. His role involves producing content for the website, newsletter, social media and assisting in the magazine’s production. 

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