Greene King has pledged to recruit over 2,000 apprentices to follow a new and improved career path, which now includes advanced management qualifications that provide a clear route from team member roles right through to managing a business, and enhanced kitchen skills qualifications. Developed in partnership with Charnwood Training Group, a specialist training provider to the licensed hospitality sector, Greene King is extending its legacy to improve career opportunities across its entire business.
Boosts to motivation and productivity
Supported by its existing apprenticeship schemes, in the 12 months to April 2013, Greene King reported boosts to both motivation and productivity across all participating venues with overall Retail key performance indicators improving:
Team turnover fell 8%
Employee engagement rose 4%
Labour productivity improved over 2%
John Smith, group HR director for Greene King, said: “We made the decision to recruit 2,000 new apprentices this year following the success of our existing apprenticeship scheme, which has been running since 2011. As our business grows, we are proud to offer the apprentices that join Greene King the opportunity move straight onto a career path to allow them to fulfil their true potential”.
Launched in 2011, the apprenticeship scheme has so far been undertaken by over 3,500 employees, working across the group’s pub, bar, restaurant and hotel outlets. Greene King has enjoyed positive results following the programmes initial introduction and has ambitions over the next couple of years to increase the number of kitchen apprentices across its businesses as well as the continued quality of the training and programmes provided.
Building on success
To strengthen and build on this success, Greene King will offer employees who undertake the scheme from March 2014, a BII Licensed Hospitality Advanced Apprenticeship at level 3 and a Level 4 Diploma in Hospitality Management, following the successful pilot of the level 5 Diploma in Management, where three managers celebrated their achievement.
Greene King plans to extend its apprenticeship programme further to allow new team members to join the scheme at the start of their employment. Apprentices will be able to build their own personalised and tailored programme to suit their needs and career aspirations to further encourage independent study and create a challenging and stimulating learning experience.
About Charnwood Training Group
With over 15 years’ experience, Charnwood Training Group is a leading provider of learning and development solutions for the hospitality sector. Operating nationally, Charnwood holds OFSTED Level 2 status and has a proven track record in delivering high quality learning solutions to over 12,000 learners and over 3,000 employer business units. From its commercial headquarters in Kirkby in Ashfield, Nottinghamshire, Charnwood Training Group delivers tailored courses and programmes from awarding bodies such as BIIAB and Edexcel.
About Greene King
Greene King, the pub retailer and brewer, was founded in 1799 and is headquartered in Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk. It currently employs 22,000 people across its main trading divisions: Retail, Pub Partners and Brewing & Brands.
It operates c. 2,300 pubs, restaurants and hotels across England, Wales and Scotland, of which c. 1,000 are retail pubs, restaurants and hotels, and c. 1,300 are tenanted, leased and franchised pubs. Its leading retail brands are Hungry Horse, Old English Inns, Eating Inn and Loch Fyne Seafood & Grill.
Greene King also brews quality ale brands from its Bury St. Edmunds and Dunbar breweries, and is the UK’s leading cask ale brewer and premium ale brewer with leading brands such as Greene King IPA, Old Speckled Hen, Abbot Ale and Belhaven Best.