About the role

Do you have a passion for vehicles and want to understand how to repair and paint them? This is an excellent opportunity to work as part of a highly skilled workforce that is committed to quality.  You will train as a qualified Vehicle Paint Technician in the understanding on how to prepare, spray and finish vehicles that have been involved in a collision or other incidents. This will also include making sure a correct colour match and that the finish is to the Partnership’s standards. 

At a glance

This role is based at our Vehicle Workshop at Waitrose Distribution Centre in Bracknell, Berkshire.

This is a permanent position and the starting pay rate for this role is £12.45 per hour. For the first year of your apprenticeship you will be working Monday to Friday, 8am - 4:30pm. From year 2 onwards, you will be required to work flexibly across all shifts to gain a greater understanding of the operation. 

We are currently recruiting for candidates to start in August 2025. 

About the role

The aim of this programme is to equip our Apprentices with the skills and knowledge to competently repair, prepare the surface and paint our fleet of vehicles.  As an Apprentice you will learn the general principles of spray painting technology, paint mixing, paint compositions and different methods on how to spray vehicles.  This will include preparing the vehicles by masking, sanding and any other preparation. 

You will be responsible for maintaining the company tools and equipment making sure they are safe and in clean, workable condition adhering to health and safety regulations. During the apprenticeship you will be able to demonstrate a knowledge of colour identification and be able to utilise modern drying/curing techniques. 

For more information about the role, please see the attached job outline. 

Apprenticeship Training

Training is delivered both in the workplace (on the job) and via 7 week-long training blocks per year at S&B’s specialist Automotive Academy in Bristol (off the job). Apprentices will be required to travel via train to S&B’s Academy whilst on training blocks, and stay in hotel accommodation. All costs for travel, accommodation and meals are paid for by the Partnership. 

You will be assigned a workplace and a college mentor who will offer support, advice and guidance throughout the apprenticeship, by monitoring progress via S&Bs purposely developed electronic logbook, that can be accessed at any time. 

Apprentices take a Gateway Assessment at the end of every year to progress until the completion of the End Point Assessment. 

The Apprenticeship is expected to take 3 years, and once you have completed, you will be awarded with a Vehicle Damage Paint Technician Level 3 Apprenticeship.

Once you’ve successfully completed the apprenticeship, you will move to being a fully qualified Technician within the Workshop. This will mean your shifts will change to match those of the Workshop, and could involve you being placed on any of our 3 shifts.

Essential skills you’ll need

• English and Maths GCSE Grade C or Level 4

• A proven interest in the commercial vehicle/vehicle industry

We believe in rewarding our Partners for their time and energy. After all, they’re the ones that make the John Lewis Partnership special. Benefits include:

• 💚Once you’ve been with us for three months, you’ll get Partnership discount in store and online. That’s 25% off in John Lewis & Partners (12% electrical products, some exclusions apply) and 20% in Waitrose & Partners. You’ll also be able to nominate someone you live with to share your discount.

• 💚Discounted cinema tickets & VIP suites with discounted tickets at the O2 arena

• 💚Discounted rates on holidays at the John Lewis Partnerships hotels, where only Partners and their guests can stay

• 💚Excellent work life balance, including focus on well being and flexible working and our marketing leading equal parenthood leave Policy

And much more! Find out more about our benefits here: https://www.jlpjobs.com/about/benefits/

The Partnership

We’re the largest employee owned business in the UK and home of our cherished brands, John Lewis and Waitrose. We’re not just employees, we’re Partners, driven by our purpose to build a happier world. As we look to our future, there’s never been a more exciting time to join us.  

We’re ruthlessly focused on being brilliant at retail. We continue to innovate, adapt and diversify. Never Knowingly Undersold on price, quality and service in John Lewis and passionately serving food-lovers in Waitrose.   

As Partners we all share the responsibility of ownership and in its rewards. We use our voices to contribute to our success, working together through the good and challenging times, holding true to our behaviours and treating everyone with kindness and respect. 

We all own making the Partnership somewhere we belong. Embracing our differences and creating an environment where we’re free to be ourselves and can THRIVE. Growing ourselves individually, and as a collective. 

As Partners, we make all the difference. And, we all own it.  

Important points to note:  

It’s important to note that some of our roles are subject to pre-employment vetting (which may include DBS checks for successful candidates). If required, you’ll be informed and provided with information about vetting during the recruitment process and we encourage you to complete any vetting documents quickly to avoid delays. Any DBS checks required will be carried out by a third-party registered body and financial probity checks may also be required for some of our roles.  

We also recommend that you apply as soon as possible as vacancies can close early if we see a high number of applicants.  

We want all of our Partners to have a good work-life balance and we support flexible working. This might mean flexible or compressed hours, job sharing or shorter hour contracts, where possible. Please discuss this further with the hiring manager during your interview. 

Attachment: Download Job Attachment