Sapphire Vehicle Services is on the hunt for HGV technicians after opening its new Charlton workshop, which provides inspection, maintenance and repair services for trucks and vans.
Sapphire operates 19 workshops across England and Scotland, which together look after close to 30,000 vehicles, for a client list that includes some of the biggest fleets in the supermarket sector. The company also offers services for electric vehicles.
Its new purpose-built site is already staffed by a team of four and the company is now looking to recruit HGV technicians.
Regional manager Patrick McGlynn, said: “We’re actively recruiting for heavy vehicle technicians who are looking for a great place to work with clear career development pathways.
“At Sapphire we place a great deal of emphasis on training and developing our people,” he added.
The new Charlton site, at Riverside, just upstream of the Thames Barrier, sits next to a distribution centre operated by one of Sapphire’s customers but is open to all comers.
McGlynn said: “This is a brand new, purpose-designed facility and offers a complete range of services to everyone from large fleet operators to single vehicle owner-drivers.
“It’s fully kitted out with all the tooling required to work on any brand of truck, including Jaltest diagnostic equipment, and is a great place to work.”
The site also boasts a pair of mobile service vans and is home to an admin team as well as its current roster of four technicians.
Among these is 28-year-old Nikhil Varsani, who is undergoing a training programme with a view to taking on the role of its first depot manager.
Varsani has been with Sapphire for four years, having joined the team at the nearby Waltham Cross workshop after serving his apprenticeship and gaining experience with a main dealer outlet.
“This kind of career progression is one of the main reasons I was keen to join Sapphire,” he said.
“It’s a friendly company that really values its staff, and if you want to step up and take on more responsibility you’re backed all the way.”
The company has an apprenticeship programme which takes on eight or more candidates a year, for a two-year course culminating in a nationally recognised NVQ Level 3 qualification in HGV Maintenance and Repair.
Meanwhile its Technician Upskilling courses have helped a raft of car mechanics learn the skills to enable them to switch to a career in heavy vehicle maintenance.
The company said that many of the business’s current senior managers began their journeys on the workshop floor.
Candidates interested in joining the programme should contact Sapphire’s group commercial director Grant Tadman on 07880 264909 or regional manager Patrick McGlynn on 07795 062111 or via email at patrick.mcglynn@sapphirevs.com
