A FORMER apprentice at an Oswestry motor dealer has worked his way up to a managerial role.

Carl Thomas began his career 16 years ago as an apprentice at Rapid Fit, which was part of the Furrows Group.

Thanks to his commitment and dedication to the company, he has been named as service manager at the group’s Whittington Road dealership in the town.

“I’m absolutely delighted to have been given this new role, and I’m really enjoying the challenge of leading the team and building on the strong business relationships we have with our existing customers, as well as working with new faces too,” he said.

“I am particularly keen to increase the number of light commercial vehicles coming in for services and and I’ll be working with our team at the Furrows Transit Centre in Shrewsbury to help develop this side of the business.”

Carl has been a level three Ford Technician, and was invited to take up Kia Master Technician training too.

Richard Pettener, Furrows of Oswestry general manager, said: “Carl’s enthusiasm for his job and his appetite for continuously developing his skills were evident from the very start, and he has proved he is able to adapt to any job role in the service department.

“We haven’t had a service manager in place for a number of years, but thanks to the expansion of our dealership, Carl’s appointment is a very important step in our mission to help drive the business to the next level.”

As well as leading the service department team, Carl has been closely involved in supporting students at the nearby Marches Academy.

“I felt it was important to share my experience with the students and explain the benefits an apprenticeship can have over traditional academic-based studies,” he said.

Carl’s input was part of an initiative between Furrows and The Marches School which gives students the chance to take part in extended work placements at the Oswestry dealership with the aim of developing a career in the motor industry.