TWO young people have hailed themselves a potential career with apprenticeships at a taxi firm.

But these apprentices are not in the garage or behind the steering wheel, but are the first administrative apprentices in the 110-year history of Sunderland-based Station Taxis.

Lauren Brown, 20, has begun her apprenticeship in at the Station Taxis Riverside Road Call Centre where it employs more than 20 Customer Servive Advisors

Meanwhile, seventeen-year-old Abbie Thorton has started her apprenticeship in the taxi firm’s expanding head office as an administrative assistant.

“The taxi industry is widely misunderstood and very few people identify with it in terms of a career,” said Managing Director Trevor Hines

“The range of jobs available at Station Taxis always surprises people – as does the fact that each department has a clearly-defined structure through which staff have opportunities for training and advancement.

Lauren and Abbie joined Station Taxis from Milltech Training, an independent training organisation which specialises in helping young people in to work placements and apprenticeships.

Lauren, from High Barnes, Sunderland, said:

I absolutely love it. I never would have thought about working for taxi firm, but it operates like any Call Centre, and very professional too, so I am gaining useful job skills and experience.

Abbie, who lives at Hylton Castle, adds:

What’s really nice is that despite all the talk of recession and difficult times you hear elsewhere, at Station Taxis everyone is always positive, trying new things and looking to help the company move forward, which is exciting for someone like me in their first job.