Apprenticeships can give employees a new lease of life at any stage of their career

National Apprenticeship Week provides an opportunity to celebrate the huge contribution that apprentices make to businesses across the UK. But, of course, if we only reflect on the value of apprenticeships once a year, we underplay the vital and multifaceted role they play.

At Nestlé we have invested in apprenticeships for almost 60 years, and we hugely value the benefits they bring, from building skills to embedding positive behaviours in the workplace. We have almost 200 apprentices in our business, and we are currently recruiting for 39 roles.

One common misconception about apprenticeships is that they are only for young people. While the majority of apprentices are school leavers, apprenticeships aren’t just for those starting out; they are for anyone that wants to develop new skills, at any stage in their career.

In recent weeks the Chancellor has called out the role that apprenticeships can play in growing the UK economy by giving older workers a route back into the workforce. This is something we’ve recognised for a long time. It’s not just about getting people back into work however, it’s also about giving those in work broader opportunities.

People often want to try different roles during their career and develop new skills – and we see this trend increasing. A number of our apprentices have joined our scheme later in life because they wanted a career change. Their experience in other roles is of huge value to us and can bring new ideas and ways of working.

Retaining talent

It’s becoming increasingly important for businesses to build a strong pipeline of talent and apprenticeships are a fantastic way to do that. But it’s also a way to upskill the talent that is already within a business. In fact, at Nestlé, 30% of our apprentices were already employed by us when they started their course.

We firmly believe that opportunities to learn should never stop. But for people already in employment, opportunities to get back into education can be limited. Apprenticeships offer the perfect balance, with the security of remaining in employment, combined with the chance to develop new skills.

From our perspective, the benefits are two-fold. It’s a way of helping us discover the hidden gems within our business and giving them the opportunity to progress further in their current role or contribute to another part of our business. And it offers an incentive for people that are looking for a change to stay with the business rather than looking elsewhere.

We won’t reap the benefits of attracting the best talent if we can’t also retain the best talent already in our business by giving them opportunities to further their skills and explore new avenues.

Appetite for apprenticeships in food manufacturing

The food manufacturing industry is constantly evolving and as one of the sector’s biggest businesses, we need to ensure that we are evolving too. Bringing new skills into our operations is key – and that’s why apprenticeships are so important to us.

The food and drink sector is thriving, at the forefront of technical innovation and offers a range of opportunities. Our apprentice roles span everything from engineering and manufacturing to supply chain and data scientist roles – all of which are crucial in helping us to grow our business in ever more sustainable ways.

Changing perceptions

We will continue to educate people about the opportunities and benefits apprenticeships bring, not only through our outreach to schools and careers fairs, but for our current employees. Our belief is that apprenticeships can help anyone reach their full potential, no matter what their background, and we need to recognise that this applies to age as much as anything else.

There is a big pool of talent that the industry can tap into, and we will keep raising awareness of the benefits of embedding a culture that encourages and supports learning regardless of age. That’s why supporting apprenticeships is a proud part of our history and will always be a fundamental part of our future.

Case study: Jon Waites

Jon is four months into his 30-month manufacturing apprenticeship in Nestlé’s York factory. Despite worrying that he was a more mature applicant at 40, he was encouraged to apply and was successful.

Speaking about his apprenticeship, Jon said: “I had previously been working in hospitality and while I liked that the role was vocational, I wanted to put myself in an environment where I could learn and push myself further. I was confident that having had several years’ experience in the workplace already would put me in a good position to progress.

“Nestlé has given me countless opportunities to learn, and I’m only four months into the job. I’m developing an understanding of how our manufacturing processes work end to end, including sourcing ingredients and the detail of each individual part of a machine mechanism, as well as health and safety measures.

“Taking up this apprenticeship has enabled me to completely change my career direction and given me more opportunities for the future – I’d recommend it to anyone thinking of applying, whatever their age.”

By Jill Coyle, Apprenticeship Manager at Nestlé