BAC Celebrates Apprentices’ Success at Northern Automotive Alliance Awards 2024

BAC continues its tradition of excellence, reflecting on its highly successful apprenticeship and training programme at the 2024 Northern Automotive Alliance (NAA) Awards. Dylan Jones, a BAC apprentice, was named Apprentice of the Year, while BAC was also highly commended in the Manufacturing Excellence category. Developed over the past decade in collaboration with local colleges, the apprenticeship programme has been integral to BAC’s growth, cultivating local talent into pivotal roles within the company’s production teams.

More than 70% of BAC’s production team have either graduated from or are currently engaged in the apprenticeship programme. A key feature of the scheme is its mentoring element, which pairs apprentices with master technicians and industry experts who bring extensive experience in high-performance automotive manufacturing. This structured programme equips apprentices with hands-on skills across critical production areas such as bodywork assembly, quality inspection, and component refinement. It also fosters high-level knowledge transfer, allowing apprentices to take on significant responsibilities early in their careers. Many graduates have advanced to overseeing complex production tasks, mentoring new cohorts, and rising to team leader positions within their departments.

Neill Briggs, Co-Founder and Director of Product Development at BAC, commented “Nurturing early-stage talent is a core value for us at BAC. Our apprenticeship programme has been at the heart of BAC’s success, and it’s incredibly rewarding to see our apprentices thrive. The skills they now hold and the passion they bring to the team inspire us all, and it’s a joy to play our part in nurturing new talent, which is integral to the future of BAC and the broader automotive industry."

This year, Jamie Dolan and Dylan Jones are set to graduate into full-time roles within BAC’s production team, following in the footsteps of previous cohorts who have successfully transitioned into permanent roles at BAC. Through their apprenticeships, they have gained expertise in highly specialised processes, including working with carbon fibre, thermoset plastics, and heat shielding. This specialist training is a key component of BAC’s approach to talent development, where team members grow into highly specialised process owners and master technicians with a flexible skillset, enabling the business to remain agile in a dynamic industry.

Many past apprentice graduates have become process owners for critical components of BAC’s production infrastructure. For example, Tom Tunstall, who graduated in 2019, now manages BAC’s in-house additive manufacturing, working closely with the design and engineering teams on developing components for both production and prototype use. His journey exemplifies BAC’s commitment to fostering internal growth and technical expertise.

The Northern Automotive Alliance Awards recognise outstanding achievements within the automotive sector, showcasing leaders and innovators from across the region. BAC’s continued success at these awards reflects the company’s unwavering commitment to both innovation and investing in the next generation of talent.