Fourteen young people have secured places in the first official cohort of Inchcape’s internship programme, beating out more than 400 applicants for the opportunity to gain hands-on experience across the automotive dealer’s Barbados operations.

The initiative, being rolled out across Inchcape Barbados and the Caribbean, aims to bridge the gap between education and employment by providing university and vocational students with practical workplace experience.

Tanisha Callender, talent acquisition senior analyst at Inchcape Caribbean, said the 12-week programme officially launched this month, marking a significant milestone for the company.