NEVER mind the Spice Girls, there’s a real case of girl power at Hatfields Jaguar Worcester where the firm has taken on six new after-sales apprentices – and they’re all women.

The move is being seen as a major breakthrough in what is traditionally a male-dominated sector as the women won their places in competition with more than 400 other high quality young male and female applicants.

Gareth Williams, managing director at Hatfields, said: “These six young ladies were the pick of a very talented bunch and came through the assessment clearly in front of hundreds of lads and other girls. Though we didn’t have any gender preferences in the selection process, we believe the girls will help our growing female customer base feel at home at our dealerships.”

The apprentices will be trained in all the specialist skills required to deliver the levels of after-sales service for which Hatfields Jaguar is famous and study NVQ two, starting with meeting and greeting customers and ensuring that their Hatfields experience runs smoothly.

The Hatfields apprenticeship scheme has been organised through the Learning Skills Partnership (LSP). The positions were advertised through the National Apprenticeship Service and LSP managed the rigorous selection process which included an assessment day with customer service exercises, presentations and one- to-one interviews.