Pub boss calls for rethink on apprenticeship plans

Simon Longbottom, chief executive of Stonegate Pub Company, said the levy would represent 0.5% of his company’s total payroll, and would bring unneeded levels of bureaucracy, expense and effort at a time when his company was increasing investment into training.

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Longbottom was speaking during a reception at the House of Commons to celebrate the success of Stonegate management training “Accelerator” programme and it’s 100th graduate.

Changes​

He said: “The changes to the apprenticeship system give us real cause for concern. My worry is that we are putting the brakes on the most important part of the career ladder just when we are looking to drive faster and be more ambitious.”

He called for further examination of the reality on the ground and implications of the levy.

The company had invited the 100 general managers to the reception at the Commons to mark the milestone, and Longbottom pledged to up the scale of the programme and deliver a further 120 homegrown managers through the system next year.

He said the company places great value in progressing and training its own people, and highlighted the fact that three out of four members of the Stonegate executive, including himself, chairman Ian Payne, and commercial director Suzanne Baker, had all started their careers behind a bar.

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Jay Biver, the official 100^th​ graduate from the Three Pigeons, Guildford, also spoke at the event representing how commitment in personal development can change lives:

“I followed the ‘theory of success’ and would advise anyone given the opportunity, to be confident in yourself because there is definitely success at the end.”

Pathway​

The company said the programme, part of Stonegate’s multi award-winning internal career pathway, ‘Albert’s Theory of Progression’, enables high-potential deputy managers to be ready to rise to the challenge of managing their own pub.

Already, a large number of graduates have progressed to general manager, with a further five moving into head office roles.

Progression​

Longbottom added: “People are at the heart of everything we do. We are firmly committed to the principle that our people should be able to progress from the bar to the boardroom. We are delighted to able to recognise the achievements of our Accelerator graduates; reaching our 100^th​ milestone is a really proud moment for Stonegate.

“It is also a fantastic opportunity to reinforce to MPs the vital role that our company and the wider pub and bar sector play in providing jobs and careers, with arguably the most realistic prospect of going from the bottom rung right to the very top.”