Vacancy ID

12846

Brand

Halfords

Site

Halfords Chelmsford Nav (47)

Recruitment advisor

Nicole Douglas

Recruiter email address

Hourly wage

£7.55

Programme name

Autocare Technician Standard (Level 2)

Anticipated start date

23 March 2026

Employer description

At Halfords, we're all about the journey. With more than 600 stores with over 10,000 colleagues, we're the UK's leading retailer of automotive and cycling products. We are also the leading operator in MOT, tyres, car servicing and car repairs - pleasing more than 750,000 customers every year. We pride ourselves in offering the highest quality motoring products to ensure you get the job done safely and efficiently.

The Halfords apprenticeship programme will equip you with all the skills, knowledge and behaviours you need to start a successful career with us. We have over 700 garages across England, Scotland and Wales where our highly trained Technicians carry out MOT’s, car servicing and repairs for over one million customers a year. As a Halfords apprentice, you will master a range of technologies across all kinds of cars – that’s a lot of valuable, career enhancing knowledge.

Job description

The Service department is vital to the success of our business. From right first-time fixes, to delivering excellent customer service, our Autocare Technicians/Mechanics play a pivotal role in delighting our customers and encouraging their continued loyalty.

Every day is different within the Service department. As a Autocare Technician/Mechanic apprentice, some of your duties will include:

Use of diagnostic equipment to identify vehicle faults.
Testing of parts and systems to ensure correct working.
Following checklists to ensure all critical parts of vehicles are examined.
Carrying out bumper to bumper overview, service, and inspection.
Maintenance of electronic systems including on- board entertainment systems.
Completion of legible and accurate paperwork for the customers and centres records
Maintenance of a clean and tidy work environment.

You will have the opportunity to work with a wide range of products including traditional, hybrid and electronic engines. From heritage vehicles to leading edge modern technology, our range will provide you with a varied technical training experience to build your skills as a Autocare Technician/Mechanic.

Qualifications required

Minimum entry requirements

GCSE grades 9 – 4 (A – C) or equivalent in English and Maths.

In Scotland, applicants must have Scottish National 5 Grades A - C or above in English and Maths.

'Equivalent' grades include:

BTEC first diplomas and certificates

OCR Nationals

Key Skills Level 2

NVQs

Essential Skills (Wales)

Functional Skills Level 2

Core Skills (Scotland)

A Level 1 in Light Vehicle Maintenance and Repair is desirable

Personal qualities

Our ideal candidate will be able to demonstrate skills in logic and problem solving. You should be someone who pays attention to detail and is committed to completing this apprenticeship programme.

We are looking for people who have some experience in the motor industry either with formal training at Level 1 or having worked at or within a similar organisation. You should be passionate about our industry and our brand. Some of the personal skills that you should think about showing us in your application are:

Enthusiasm and willingness to learn

Teamwork

Strong communication

Customer Service

Interest in vehicle engineering

We are looking for an enthusiastic, hardworking individual to join our team and embark on a long term career, with excellent earning and progression opportunities once you complete your apprenticeship.

Things to consider

The latest information on the Apprentice National Minimum Wage can be found at https://www.gov.uk/become-apprentice/pay-and-conditions

As part of our commitment to Diversity, Equality and Inclusion, all applications are automatically anonymised by our recruitment system. This is with the aim of realising our ambition to have a workforce that is reflective of the community we serve and eliminating unconscious bias, allowing employees to be appointed based on their talent, skills, and experiences regardless of ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, or any other protected characteristic.

English and Maths guidance from the government changed on 11/02/25. This employer wishes to support upskilling in both English and Maths by exception and as such the entry grade criteria as advertised still applies.

An assessment centre will be held at a local location, towards the end of January 2026 with work trial dates to then be confirmed following the assessment day. We reserve the right to close the advert early if we receive a sufficient number of applications. We therefore advise candidates to submit their applications as early as possible to avoid disappointment.

Please do not contact the retailer directly. Inspiro Learning carry out the full recruitment service for this employer. Due to the high number of applications, we cannot provide a timescale on when you are likely to receive a response. As most of our roles are recruited for on an ongoing basis, we will contact you if you are successful at progressing to the next step. It is not possible for us to contact every applicant individually. If you have not heard back on a specific vacancy but find another opportunity that is of interest to you, we welcome an additional application.

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