Bach and the value of apprenticeships

Bach served an apprenticeship studying first with his father and, when his parents died, with his brother — a church organist who helped him study music.

While much of Bach’s music was written for church/religious occasions, he saw himself as a craftsman and developed his knowledge of the “music trade”.

He clearly recognised the value of this and one of his great works, Well Tempered Clavier, started life as a workbook for one of his sons, part of his apprenticeship.

Joblessness​

In this country, the licensed trade and wider hospitality industry have not always been seen by the political establishment as creators of “proper jobs” or apprenticeships.

Tony Blair set the target of 50% or more of school leavers to attend university and politicians witter on about the knowledge economy and green technology.

However, academia isn’t for everybody and ‘high-tech’ simply isn’t going to create sufficient jobs fast enough to deal with youth joblessness.

It is interesting that one of the countries with the highest employment rates among under-25s is Switzerland, which has below-average rates of university attendance in its school leavers and a long tradition of hospitality excellence.

Much has changed for our sector, be it the glamour Marco Pierre White and Gordon Ramsay have brought to cheffing or the accessibility created by Jamie Oliver’s “cheeky chappy” style.

Progress is being made. Politicians are realising that not only are pubs good for communities but they can provide jobs and apprenticeships for young people.

Meritocracy​

However, there is much persuading to be done in terms of what our industry has to offer.

Firstly, as Association of Licensed Multiple Retailers CEO David McHattie said before the organisation’s Christmas lunch last year, this is the most meritocratic of industries. One need look no further than Stonegate chairman Ian Payne’s career or Amber Taverns’ ops director Gary Roberts — who started working in bars aged 16 — to see what can be achieved with drive and hard work.

Working in our trade in the long-term may not be an ambition for everyone but it can provide a grounding for young people, not only in work, but in vital life skills such as taking responsibility.

The more the outside world sees what we offer, the stronger our case for a sympathetic hearing from Government becomes.

As Bach’s genius shows, great things can be achieved with the right apprenticeship.

James Baer is MD at Amber Taverns​