Osram has held a training session for 32 apprentices, to give guidance on lighting technology, upselling and fitting bulbs.
With apprentices playing a significant role in the future of the aftermarket, Osram has dedicated itself to assisting their education, and ensuring that these future technicians have the best understanding of all areas in the automotive industry.
Taking place at North London Garages GTA in Enfield, the apprentices, including some from the RAC, took part in the training day to learn about bulb technology, business opportunities when it comes to upselling and fitting bulbs and the importance of using quality products.
Importance of fitting bulbs
A large number of drivers are unaware of what is needed when it comes to fitting bulbs, which presents an opportunity for the aftermarket. Not only is using the correct bulb for the vehicle crucial, but upselling is a key skill that some technicians may not feel comfortable with.
However, during the lighting season, these opportunities should be grasped, and Osram’s training in not only fitting bulbs, but the business opportunities behind the technology, should stand the future generation in good stead.
Lighting Marketing Manager, Terri Clark, was one of the two representatives delivering the training on the day. She said: “We were pleased to see so many apprentices there and were encouraged by how engaged they were in the material we were presenting them.
“Many of them stated that they wanted to one day own a garage, and bulb sales can provide a fantastic profit margin, especially if they are charging for fitting bulbs, replacing in pairs and offering an upgrade bulb – tasks that we encourage every garage and technician to do.
“There’s a lot of money to be made in bulbs, but we don’t see many workshops taking this opportunity, which is why we want to teach the apprentices in the industry why they should be charging for this and how it benefits them, as well as their customers.”
Industry needs
Also delivering the training was Henry Bisson, Marketing Director for RING (OSRAM’s UK subsidiary). “We heard about Colin Denton, who is Chief Executive at North London Garages, through another company in the industry, Schaeffler, and their work with Colin and his apprentices,” he commented.
“Once we saw them providing training, we thought we should offer to help as well. These apprentices are hopefully the ones who are going to be in our industry for the next 40 years and to give up a few hours of our day to speak to them and offer them some advice, information and guidance is the least we could do.
“Our industry is crying out for trained technicians and as there is a programme in London that’s training apprentices and helping them find jobs, we should be supporting these kind of programmes because without them, our industry will dwindle rapidly.
“We are thrilled that our training was so well received by the apprentices, as well as the staff at the garage, and we hope to continue to help in this way.”
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