Vehicle Technician in Aylesford

Do you have a passion for vehicles and want to understand how to maintain them? We have an exciting opportunity to become a Vehicle Technician Apprentice in John Lewis Partnership. Our Light Commercial Vehicle Technicians are the lifeblood of our logistics network. Without them, our shelves would be empty and our customers disappointed. Our Vehicle Technicians are encouraged to manage their own time, while being proactive to ensure our Commercial Fleet is maintained. You'll gain the qualifications you need to do the job and the opportunity of securing a permanent Light Vehicle Technician role with us at the end of your apprenticeship.

This role is based at our vehicle workshop in Aylesford. This is a permanent position and the starting pay rate for this role is £12.45 per hour. For the first year of your apprenticeship you will be working Monday to Friday, 8am - 4:30pm. From year 2 onwards, you will be required to work flexibly across all shifts to gain a greater understanding of the operation. We are currently recruiting for candidates to start in August 2025.

As an Apprentice Light Vehicle Technician you will work within our Workshops, alongside our qualified Technicians, learning how to complete services, inspections and repairs on heavy vehicles. You will complete day to day tasks faced by a Technician that can range from replacing simple parts through to solving complex faults with the use of diagnostic methods and equipment. You will be required to work independently but also operate effectively within a team, have strong problem solving skills and a good understanding of theoretical and practical aspects of vehicle systems and associated ancillaries.

Training is delivered both in the workplace (on the job) and via 7 week-long training blocks per year at S&B's specialist Automotive Academy in Bristol (off the job). Apprentices will be required to travel via train to S&B's Academy whilst on training blocks, and stay in hotel accommodation. All costs for travel, accommodation and meals are paid for by the Partnership. You will be assigned a workplace and a college mentor who will offer support, advice and guidance throughout the apprenticeship, by monitoring progress via S&Bs purposely developed electronic logbook, that can be accessed at any time. Apprentices take a Gateway Assessment at the end of every year to progress until the completion of the End Point Assessment. The Apprenticeship is expected to take 3 years, and once you have completed, you will be awarded with a Level 3 Apprenticeship in Motor Vehicle Service and Maintenance Technician - Light Vehicles.

Essential skills you'll need:

• English and Maths GCSE Grade C or Level 4
• A proven interest in the commercial vehicle/vehicle industry

We believe in rewarding our Partners for their time and energy. After all, they're the ones that make the John Lewis Partnership special. Benefits include:

• Partnership discount in store and online after three months, including 25% off in John Lewis & Partners and 20% in Waitrose & Partners.
• Discounted cinema tickets & VIP suites with discounted tickets at the O2 arena.
• Discounted rates on holidays at the John Lewis Partnerships hotels.
• Excellent work life balance, including focus on well being and flexible working.
• Marketing leading equal parenthood leave Policy.

Important points to note:

• Some roles are subject to pre-employment vetting (which may include DBS checks).
• We recommend that you apply as soon as possible as vacancies can close early if we see a high number of applicants.
• We support flexible working, which might mean flexible or compressed hours, job sharing or shorter hour contracts.