A motor technician from Ellon has been crowned Apprentice of the Year by a national automotive manufacturer.
Ryan McFarlane claimed the Commercial Vehicle and Volkswagen Group title after achieving consistently high grades during his three year apprenticeship.
The 21-year-old joined Clark Commercials Volkswagen Van Centre Aberdeen, part of the John Clark Motor Group, in 2010 and completed an intensive training programme to claim the award, as Volkswagen Group Network Coach, Derek McHale, explained.
Derek said: “Our apprentices are closely monitored throughout the process and undergo regular written and practical exams in addition to understanding the Group’s brand values. It is not an easy ride and requires a lot of hard work and determination.
“Ryan has been a complete pleasure to train. Productively is a key performance indicator and Ryan has actively pushed himself to gain as much experience as possible. His drive and ambition has seen him consecutively achieve the Apprentice of the Year title at the end of his first and second year of training and this has ultimately led to this final overall recognition. He is a credit to the Clark Commercials team.”
Ryan, who beat more than 250 other students to claim the award, said: “I have always had a lot of interest in motor mechanics and I feel this added to my enjoyment and made the course seem so much easier. I am very grateful to Clark Commercials Aberdeen and to all my colleagues for supporting me throughout my training.
“I am now setting my sights on my next course and ideally want to work my way up the career ladder.”
Speaking on behalf of Clark Commercials Aberdeen, Service Manager, Garry Bruce, said: “Ryan has done us proud and is already proving to be an asset to the team. We are already intending to progress him to his next stage of training.”
“We aim to bring young new blood into the industry and therefore feel there needs to be a clear training framework to help nurture and develop the right skills of these individuals. Our latest young apprentice, Andrew Kneeshaw, is already following in Ryan’s footsteps after been awarded 1st Year Volkswagen Commercial Technician Apprentice of the Year. The team is completely delighted with our success.”
As part of the Ryan’s graduation he attended a track day at Rockingham race circuit.
Clark Commercials is part of the John Clark Motor Group which was established in 1979. It has become one of the largest motor group across Scotland.
The Group supplies new and approved used Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles, Volkswagen passenger cars, Audi, BMW, BMW Bikes, Land Rover, Jaguar, Mini, SEAT, Škoda, and Nissan in addition to its car hire, servicing and body shop facilities.