Fleet Apprentices at Via East Midlands have been given a head start in their learning with the donation of two vehicles from Nottinghamshire County Council and Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service (NFRS).

The vans, which previously formed part of fleets managed by Via for each of the organisations, will be used solely to enable Via’s four fleet apprentices to gain valuable knowledge and experience in vehicle maintenance and repair.

NFRS and Via East Midlands began their partnership in July 2019, with us recently marking the first year of the contract. In that time Via has completed almost 2,500 individual jobs for NFRS.

The five-year agreement, with the option to extend for a further five years, has already improved efficiency, reduced costs and downtime as well as improving operational reliability and providing additional resilience for the service.

Terry Scott, Head of Procurement and Resources for Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service said: “The donated van had been at Via’s Bilsthorpe workshops for a while awaiting disposal, so when we were approached by Via asking if we were willing to donate it so that four new apprentices could use it for training purposes, we were delighted to oblige.

“I hope the vehicle will prove useful in helping the apprentices through their training and on to a successful career in the future.”

“Via East Midlands are providing a vital service in maintaining NFRS’ fleet, with the contract being managed and executed in an extremely professional way.

“Via’s high performing team gives confidence to our operational crews in the reliability of their vehicles and equipment.”