Halfords appoints technical training manager

Halfords Autocentres has hired Satnam Singh to head-up its technical training team, a new role that it says “reflects the increasing focus that Halfords Autocentres is placing on training” and on investing to give its technicians “the expertise necessary to be able to service any make or model of car.”

In addition to ensuring that both new and established technicians receive the necessary training to fulfil their potential, Singh will also take responsibility for the largest automotive aftermarket apprentice programme in the UK – a programme that has seen more than 700 young technicians graduate in the thirty years since it was first established.

“Satnam is a fantastic addition to the team and brings fresh insight and expertise from his previous positions with Hyundai and VW Group UK that will make a big contribution to our operational delivery,” commented Simon Benson, operations director for Halfords Autocentres. “As a former technician and apprentice himself, Satnam is a real ambassador for training and has a genuine desire to ensure talent as well as hard work is recognised and developed.”

During six years with VW, Satnam Singh was responsible for writing and delivering training for both passenger and commercial vehicles. He then moved to Hyundai, where he spent three years helping raise technical standards within its 165-strong dealer network and helped establish the marque’s first training academy in the UK.

On joining Halfords Autocentres, Singh said: “I believe the future of service, maintenance and repair lies in the independent garage sector – so this represents significant career progression for me. Not only is Halfords Autocentres twice the size of Hyundai in the UK but unlike franchised dealers, the business has a greater focus on delivering a robust training programme because it doesn’t have the distraction of having to sell vehicles.”