FOUR apprentices from Keighley-based Colin Appleyard have graduated with flying colours.

The quartet attended a special graduation ceremony at the Donington motor racing circuit, in Leicestershire.

All four have completed the Suzuki Advanced Apprenticeship Programme at the company’s car dealerships.

Curtis North, from Keighley, was successful in the aftersales advisor’s programme.

And Georgia Dodsworth, Nick Shedden and Dillon D’Ambrosio passed in the technician’s programme.

Each was presented with a certificate and NVQ/VCQ Level 3 Advanced Apprenticeship Award by Suzuki GB managing director Nobuo Suyama and aftersales director Denis Houston.

During the programme, staged over three years for technicians and two for aftersales advisors, the apprentices were employed full-time by the firm and received individual mentoring.

Progress was monitored through continuous assessment at residential sessions at a Suzuki training centre in Doncaster.

Mr Houston said: “We are now in the 13th year of our apprenticeship programme, which has seen 286 very talented youngsters successfully complete the scheme.

“The latest graduates have once again been of an exceptionally high calibre. They have all put in hours of hard work alongside holding down busy jobs.

“This is a solid foundation from which to build their careers and they are already proving to be valuable assets to the Suzuki retail network.”

Robin Appleyard, Colin Appleyard’s managing director, said: “These apprenticeship schemes are an integral part of our customer care programme and at the same time help to provide an important step on what, we hope, will be a successful career path.

“We are always on the lookout for bright youngsters who we can mould into the unique Colin Appleyard way of looking after our customers – after all, not everyone wants to go to university and this is a great way to learn life -lasting skills.”

Another cohort of apprentices started with the company last year.

Joe Atkinson, apprentice vehicle technician; Kieran Child, apprentice motorcycle technician, and Joe Chapman, apprentice aftersales service advisor, are all based in Keighley.

Colin Appleyard has Suzuki car dealerships in Keighley, Huddersfield, Ashton-under-Lyne and Shipley, plus a multi-franchise motorcycle dealership in Keighley.

It also has a Keighley Nissan outlet.