15 March 2016 | Marino Donati
Service providers have announced plans to commit to apprenticeships and training in their sectors, following yesterday’s announcement that Compass Group is to establish 1,500 apprenticeship places within its business.
Swiftclean is working with partners in the Building & Engineering Services Association (BESA) to develop two new Trailblazer apprenticeships in ventilation hygiene to add to its building services engineering apprenticeships.
The apprenticeships are proposed for September next year and will allow apprentices to qualify as a building services engineering ventilation hygiene operative and a building services engineering ventilation hygiene technician. Participants will undergo up to 24 months of training, including 20 per cent off-the-job teaching.
Swiftclean service delivery director, Julia Argles, said: “That Swiftclean can offer award-winning service to its own customers is one thing, but to be able to participate in something that will establish consistently high standards across the entire industry gives us a sense of real pride.
“The apprenticeship system offers an amazing opportunity for vocational training while pursuing a career. Both companies and staff benefit, since team members with potential can be employed and develop into skilled operatives and technicians in their own right, making these new apprenticeships an advantage for everyone involved.”
Catering firm Wilson Vale has launched the Wilson Vale Apprenticeship Programme.
Running in conjunction with national training provider Total People, the programme is run under National Apprenticeship guidelines and has been created to attract trainees into the food service sector.
The programme includes workshops, one-to-one training sessions and peer mentoring over the course of a year, and has attracted two candidates so far. Wilson Vale said it hoped to take on five new apprentices each year.
Marion Speed, learning and development manager for Wilson Vale, said: “Our goal is to nurture talent by providing candidates with the necessary craft skills, confidence and self-belief to maximise their potential within this sector.”
Wilson Vale has also launched The Wilson Vale Chef Managers Academy in association with Babcock Training.
This initiative offers every chef in the business the opportunity to step up to a managerial level through NVQ Level 3 training.
“They already have the craft skills so we support their goals by providing training in everything from life and communication skills to book keeping and people management skills”, said Speed.
Cruise retailer Cruise118.com said that more talented youngsters needed to be given opportunities if the industry is to thrive.
Its managing director James Cole said that apprentices would play a crucial role in plugging a skills gap.
Cruise118.com cited figures from the Cruise Lines International Association’s Industry Outlook Report for the first quarter of 2016, predicting growth in the number of passengers embarking on cruises.
The company said that as the demand increased so too did the need for skilled cruise workers.
“We have taken on apprentices because it’s a great way to bring young and enthusiastic people into our business,” said Cole.
“Government grants help to subsidise the cost and we can give fantastic opportunities to youngsters in our local community. Cruise holidays are changing, with the average age of passengers consistently falling. It’s vital, therefore, that the industry has a fresh injection of young, passionate employees who reflect this shift.”
