Charles Hurst

Charles Hurst saw an opportunity to promote the motor trade to school pupils showing them that there are many different types of careers to be considered. It also saw this as being a great way to get some of its current staff involved in something that was a little different to their day jobs!

The business issue

Charles Hurst group was founded in 1911 and has gone from strength to strength to become Northern Ireland’s leading Motor Group, a business which now employs over 700 people.

Charles Hurst saw an opportunity to promote the motor trade to school pupils showing them that there are many different types of careers to be considered. It also saw this as being a great way to get some of its current staff involved in something that was a little different to their day jobs!

What Charles Hurst did

Charles Hurst invited teams of pupils from six local schools to be involved in an apprentice style challenge. The students will participate in a number of short master classes provided by Charles Hurst covering Accounting & Budget Planning, Sales & Marketing and Car Maintenance and Repairs. Each team will work with a Mentor and will use their newly acquired knowledge and skills to add value to their particular car.

At the end of the competition all three cars will be auctioned by Charles Hurst and the team whose car generates the most profit will be declared the overall winner.

The Mentors will also feed back to the judging panel on the students’ performance with the opportunity for the most promising student(s) to undertake a paid summer placement with Charles Hurst. All participants will receive a participation certificate at the end of the competition.

Impacts

  • 18 Pupils from local schools got an insight into the motoring trade
  • 4 local pupils have been awarded individually designed paid summer placements

Testimonial

“We’re always up for a challenge at Charles Hurst and through this important community initiative, we had the great pleasure to work with a remarkable group of individuals who went to great lengths to show off their individual skills and tenacity while working as part of a team. As Northern Ireland’s largest car retailer, we know that our most important asset is our staff and we’re really excited to see that the next generation of school-leavers are prepped and ready to go.”

Colin McNab, Operations Director, Charles Hurst Group

Reporting

Click here and watch the video for yourself.

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