Cartime apprentice named overall apprentice of the year in awards ceremony

A cartime apprentice has been named as Overall Apprentice of the Year by her training provider in its inaugural apprenticeship awards ceremony. 

Julia Zajaczkowska, 18, who joined cartime as an apprentice technician in June 2023, was nominated for the award by her training provider, Hopwood Hall College, which nominated her for ‘never shying away from a challenge’ throughout the duration of her Level 3 Motor Vehicle Service and Maintenance Apprenticeship.

Julia received the prestigious award at Hopwood Hall College’s Apprenticeship Awards Evening at the Marriott Hotel, where apprentices, employers and VIPs all gathered under one roof to celebrate up-and-coming talent from across the county and beyond.

Speaking of her award win, cartime managing director, Matt Kay, said: “We are extremely proud of Julia for walking away with the most prestigious award of the night. Julia’s dedication and knowledge of her job since joining cartime is something we rarely see in someone just starting out as an apprentice and her willingness to learn new skills and undertake any job asked, no matter how complex, really shows why this award was so well-deserved. She really is an asset to the business and I’m very confident she has a long and prosperous career ahead of her here at cartime.” 

“At cartime, apprenticeships are a huge part of our recruitment and nurturing strategy and Julia’s success really is a testament to how important these schemes are within the region and industry. The hands-on learning, skills and support we can offer cannot be taught in a classroom environment and we are very glad to be able to offer these opportunities to young people who are looking to break into the motor industry.” 

Julia’s early interest in cars started when she was young and would spend her hours outside of school fixing cars with her dad, Pawel, who she now works alongside at cartime. 

Speaking of her apprenticeship journey so far, Julia said: “Experience is everything within this industry and being able to experience the things I have as an apprentice with the people around me is definitely going to lead me far in my career. 

“I love coming to work and being able to learn at the same time is really amazing for me. Thanks to the people around me, I have the opportunity to work on a wide array of tasks that I would never be able to do on my own and I’ve thoroughly enjoyed my time at cartime so far. It’s been one of the best decisions of my life and I’m very excited to progress my career as I work to complete my training and qualify as a full time technician.” 

Established by Matt Kay in 2012, cartime is one of the North West’s leading car supermarkets and was awarded as the UK Car Supermarket of the Year for two consecutive years. With showrooms in Bury and Rochdale, it has this week opened its fourth site in Nelson, Burnley, as it continues its plans to be one of the largest car supermarkets in the UK. 

Cartime is always looking for new talent and would encourage anyone who is interested in an apprenticeship or employment to get in touch at [email protected].