Kia UK hosted an event at its new Kia Academy in Derby on 16 April which saw dealers including Acorn Motor Group, Perrys Motor Sales and Allen Motor Group share progress that has been made with regards to equity, diversity and inclusion.
In a post on LinkedIn, Gemma Benbow, director of people & organisation at Kia UK, said: “We took the time to reflect on some of the opportunities and challenges facing the automotive industry and discuss how working together to attract more people, build greater expertise and increase diversity is critical to our future growth.
“It was really fantastic to see so much energy and passion for developing Kia people for the future from everyone who joined us!”
The Academy’s collaboration with Skillnet expects to train around 250-300 apprentices each year, and serve as a hub for adult technical training for the UK Kia network.
Chelsea Hillis, business development manager at Skillnet, and Rebecca Sparshott, quality and innovation director at Skillnet, shared information about the partnership with Kia UK and the apprenticeship programmes available.
John Hay, business development manager at The Institute of the Motor Industry (IMI) provided an overview of the market while Julia Muir, founder of the Automotive 30% Club spoke about the Six Step Strategy to achieve 30% of key leadership roles filled by women by 2030.
The day included a tour of the new Kia Academy, a multi-million pound investment focused on developing highly skilled apprentices and technicians, future leaders in electrification.