Bakkavor has recently announced plans to take on 26 new apprentices, as part of their ongoing training scheme.
The fresh prepared food supplier will split the apprentices throughout the year, adding to the 250 apprenticeships already currently running across the business.
New apprentice schemes
Bakkavor has opened up roles across the country and in a variety of categories. These include chef jobs, marketing roles, engineering, manufacturing, processing, procurement, and technical positions. The company has been running their apprenticeship scheme for six years now, helping candidates to gain real work experience and learn the ropes in a new trade.
Those applicants who are successful will enjoy the opportunity to be given real responsibility from their first day on the job, taking part in key business activities and projects which will help them to study for a qualification. As it is recognised nationwide, this qualification will also be instrumental for helping them through future food recruitment processes and ensuring they are employed for life.
Not only do the apprentices learn on the job, but they are also encouraged to develop themselves outside of the world of work by getting involved with charity projects and local community initiatives. This will help them to develop their life skills at the same time as their working skills.
Pippa Greenslade is the HR director at Bakkavor Group. She said: “We are focused on attracting the best and brightest young people at Bakkavor and we are extremely proud of our apprenticeship programme. It is a superb way to give young people the chance to gain real world experience and responsibility within a range of environments and we are committed to playing an active role in nurturing young talent in the food industry.”
Overall schemes and plans
Bakkavor runs two apprenticeship schemes which differ across the business. One of them is the Advanced Apprenticeship, which was created for school leavers who have completed GCSEs or may be starting over in a new career. This runs for two years.
There is also the Higher Apprentice scheme, also taking place for two years. It is aimed at those who have A-level qualifications and thus have a bit of a stronger basis in some key learning areas.
The only exceptions to these details are the engineering and procurement apprenticeships. These last for four years due to the nature of the work and the learning required.
Though this announcement represents a huge opportunity for a large number of young people looking to join the food industry, it almost pales in comparison to a former announcement made by the same company. Last year, Bakkavor took on 40 new apprenticeships in areas such as manufacturing, engineering, development, and HR.
They have the infrastructure and the balance sheets to support this kind of large-scale structured learning. Their underlying like-for-like revenues were up by 5.4% for the whole of 2017, at £1.8 billion. The 2016 figure was £1.7 billion. Adjusted pre-tax profit was also up by 4.2%, at £152.6 million on 2016’s 146.4 million.
The creation of the apprenticeships means more jobs for young people and those who are looking to switch careers, and the opportunity to gain more experience before heading out to potentially work for other companies within the same sector.
Many apprentices may find themselves staying on with Bakkavor after their two-year training is over – the programmes allow the staff to pick out the best and brightest to keep within the company. Where there are positions available, there will be potential for successful trainees to take on full-time and permanent positions within the company with more responsibility.
Find out more about Bakkavor job opportunities.
