Using an External Apprenticeship Provider

Since our Apprenticeship programme started in October 2017 we have steadily gained momentum and have recently reached over 100 Apprentices in our Stores. The plan is to reach at least 250 over the next 12 months with further growth expected over the next three years. Apprentices have said that the programme is excellent, with great support from the Lifetime Trainers and the Store Managers. It’s essential to future proof the business with talented, well trained individuals and that’s what the programmes will give us going forward

We believe people make IKEA unique and the possibility for people to grow, both as individuals and in their professional roles, is important to us. Through working with apprenticeship offer, our apprentices have increased in confidence, taken responsibility for their own development, stepped out of their comfort zones and are embracing a growth mindset. Collaborating and co-creating with Lifetime has been key in building a relevant and meaningful apprenticeship programme.

The Aldi apprenticeship programme delivered in partnership with Lifetime has added great value to Aldi as an employer. I first-hand have seen the significantly positive impact it has had to our business and stores. Over the past 3 years, I have overseen 14 apprentices that have flourished into competent, qualified and extremely driven managers. We’ve had managers graduate to both Deputy and Assistant Manager, so with up to 40 stores being built in Bathgate region alone over the next years, this programme has provided us with our leaders of tomorrow.

Apprentices are better because they learn how to do their job really well, and our businesses are better because our apprentices are bringing new ideas and great ways of working into their workplaces! We couldn’t do it without our great partnership with Lifetime Training who provide the expertise to train our apprentices to be the best they can be.

I am delighted with our apprenticeship partnership with Lifetime Training and what it’s done for Mitchells & Butlers. By investing into a tailored and comprehensive approach to apprenticeship learning and development, we have enabled the business to thrive and dramatically reduce turnover in that specific population; which we are confident will have a sustainable effect across the business over time. Not only that, but we have managed to gain a brand new pipeline of young talent that will become the lifeblood of the business.

Apprenticeships help to reduce team turnover, increase employee engagement and provide us with the opportunity to grow our own talent by investing in our people and supporting their ambitions. Apprenticeships should be considered as a real option as they provide valuable skills to help build a career in hospitality

Working closely with Lifetime we’ve been able to design a launch process that gives our managers and learners the information they need to set them up for success, empowering our managers to use apprenticeships in the best possible way to develop their colleagues in their stores.

We have been working with Lifetime on developing a rotational apprenticeship within an Integrated Care System (ICS). Lifetime have been very supportive in helping develop information to inform colleagues across different organisations within the ICS, something I believe is beyond their contractual requirements, but shows how willing and helpful Lifetime are in supporting organisations.

We have two groups of employees at Cygnet; qualified staff and unqualified staff. Apprenticeships are aimed at our healthcare support workers who may not have attained many qualifications at school or simply struggle with traditional learning environments. Through Lifetime, they can learn during their normal working day, in their usual working environment. It makes them feel more confident, satisfied in their role and valued as an employee and this keeps them engaged.

The partnership with Lifetime Training, one of the UK’s top training providers, has created a bespoke programme that offers individuals on the job training from professionally qualified experts, on site mentors, development workshops and master classes.