We all know Honda as the manufacturer of endlessly reliable four-stroke outboard motors. But now, Honda (UK) has achieved a more surprising accolade, with its apprenticeship programme being given an ‘outstanding’ grading from Ofsted (the Office for Standards in Education).

Honda apprenticeships

In January 2012, five inspectors attended the company’s training facility (the Honda Institute) with the intention of carrying out a review - and their findings were extremely positive, as the Ofsted report explains: “The overall effectiveness of Honda's apprenticeship programme is outstanding and the programme provides exceptional value for money. Learners enjoy their training and develop excellent occupational skills, making a highly valued contribution to their workplace.”

Paul Taylor, Technical Training Operations Manager at the Honda Institute, said: “The Honda Institute is the home of Honda’s people development. Having the right skill and knowledge to look after our products is key to maintaining performance and reliability. Our customers expect highly trained and skilled technicians in our network of dealerships and that's exactly what we deliver through apprenticeships. The grading from Ofsted is a real testament to the professionalism and passion of our people and underpins everything we do. A grading of ‘outstanding’ reinforces that we are getting it right.” See wwww.honda.co.uk for more.

Written by: Alex Smith
Alex Smith is a journalist, copywriter and magazine editor with a long history in boating and a happy addiction to the water. He’s worked on boats, lived on boats, bought boats, sold boats and – when he’s not actually on board a boat – he can generally be found in his Folkestone office, tapping away at the computer and gazing out to sea.