Robinsons has announced plans to launch a series of apprenticeships, in partnership with Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce and quality assured professional training providers Charnwood, to meet the needs of modern retailing.
The scheme is fully funded through GM Chamber EOS
(Employer Ownership of Skills) for all licensees &
candidates and will be delivered in the workplace for a
minimum of 12 months via on-the-job training with
occasional trips to Robinsons Training Academy.
(Robinsons licensees who take on an apprentice may
be entitled to a grant of £1500 per apprentice)*
The Cheshire brewery has spent the last 12 months
developing the offer with licensees and will aim to
have 130 candidates on the programme by the middle
of 2014.
Director of Marketing David Bremner told us:
“The first thing we did was ask licensees is what sort of staff development would be most useful to them,” and the response was consistent; bar staff service skills, chef development and assistant managers.
“We then met with the Manchester Chamber of Commerce
and their support has been overwhelming including them funding a consultant for 18 months to get the whole programme up and running and cost neutral. When I meet with colleagues in other regional brewers they are amazed at the support we have had and the way the rules have been adapted to meet the needs of our sector.
The Bii too, could not have been more supportive and we are jointly developing plans for the next phase.”
Apprenticeship funding consultant Beverley Ashton managed the process including running focus groups with licensees and co-ordinated with other local pub companies and regional brewers. Beverley was also responsible for running the tender process, narrowing prospective training providers down from 29 to appoint Charnwood who will provide the training for those within the hospitality sector in the North West who wish to join with Robinsons.
Beverley commented:
“Charnwood’s pedigree came shining through and they have some great people ready to get started on this. We have also bolted on some additional qualifications to add a PLUS to our apprenticeships including extra training on Customer Services, a crucial element these days, as well as a wine qualification and a personal licence. We have 24 Robinsons apprentices ready to start from just 16 pubs visited so far and we are sure we are going to hit all the targets the Chamber have set us – we even have new licensees who are signing up to get themselves extra training post-induction.”
Initially Robinsons will offer two x level 2 cooking apprenticeships, a level 2 for front of House (Bii licensed hospitality)and a level 3 for management for those who wish to progress. All courses are expected to take 12 months to complete and licensees will play a mentoring role with the on-site training being delivered by Charnwood via monthly visits to the pubs.
David explained;
“There are so many apprenticeships it can be quite confusing; we have started with five to simplify things but we see this as a real career in hospitality and we hope to eventually take some apprentices through to degree level. Working with the Bii and Charnwood we will continually adapt our offering to keep it fresh and relevant. We will be running our one day and two day courses too for other training needs but this is all part of a bigger process to really raise the bar in the North West for a pub company, brewer, restaurant, hotel or bar.”
This approach has also attracted the interest of local MPs and David has explained to them the historical difficulties in becoming involved due to the mass of red tape:
“We really think we have something here which could be taken to other regions of the country and become equally successful. Those involved love what we do – running pubs and bars – and we want to see the next generation viewing this as a career decision with clear development opportunities and not just a temporary position.”
With around 340 pubs, Robinsons has a vested interest in delivering distinctive training opportunities to young people wishing to work in the hospitality industry in the North West.
David continued:
“Too often hospitality is overlooked as an industry with progression possibilities;
these new apprenticeship schemes will help young people learn skills and
responsibilities that will facilitate their next step up the career ladder.”
Testimonial:
Martin Barnes the George & Dragon, Holmes Chapel, bronze winner of Best Pub and Customer Service Award 2013 – Chester Food, Drink and Lifestyle Festival:
“We’ve had great success investing in training for our team. We currently have 3 of our 6 chefs and 2 of our FOH team on Apprentice Training Programmes. For me, there are two major benefits for training – lower staff turnover and being attractive as an employer. Not only do we get the best members of staff, we retain them as well. As a business the most fundamental value is ‘Consistently Top Notch Customer Service’ – a stable, high performing team helps us to achieve this.”
For further information contact Beverley Ashton on 07814 763234 or email apprenticeships@frederic-robinson.co.uk
*Conditions apply