Rooney Anand, Greene King’s chief executive, and two of Greene King’s apprentices Mark Robinson and Jenna Stewart, attended a reception hosted by Prime Minister David Cameron and Business Secretary Sajid Javid held at 10 Downing Street this week.
At the reception, Anand announced that Greene King has delivered on its 2015 pledge, unveiled during National Apprenticeship Week 2015, to create 2,000 more apprenticeships within a year - two months ahead of schedule. This takes the total number of apprentices earning and learning with the pub retailer and brewer to 3,300.
He said: “We are really proud of our apprenticeship programme and passionate about supporting our employees with their career development at Greene King. We were really pleased to have recently delivered on our latest pledge of 2,000 people starting an apprenticeship.
“Following our acquisition of Spirit Pub Company last year, we are now working to increase the number of qualifications available to our 42,000 team members. There is real enthusiasm for our apprenticeship programme and not only do we want to ensure the apprentice’s experience is a valuable one, we want to continue to improve the quality and opportunities for those who commit to the 12 month programmes.”
Business Secretary Sajid Javid said: “Three million more apprenticeships by 2020 means even more life changing opportunities for our young people. More than that, apprenticeships make sense for business. That’s why some of the country’s top business leaders are coming together to bang the drum for apprenticeships.
“We are putting employers at the heart of quality apprenticeships so that young people get the skills they need to succeed. Today we are celebrating everything that apprenticeships have to offer businesses and young people.”
Apprentice Mark Robinson, 25, is an assistant manager and has achieved three apprenticeship qualifications already. He is currently on a Level 4 Leadership and Management apprenticeship and said: “Some of the best things I have got from it are the networking and being able to understand behaviours and learning patterns in people. It has really developed me in becoming a leader, rather than a manager.”
Joining Mark was apprentice Jenna Stewart, 22, a supervisor at a busy pub in London. She said: “Apprentices have helped me learn new skills, gain confidence and given me the motivation to do more.”
Greene King offers bespoke apprenticeships across its business and brands, and in doing so it is contributing towards the government’s target of three million by 2020. Those in retail are able to achieve qualifications from Level 2 to 4 including Food Production and Cooking, Professional Cookery and Management.