Scottish Apprentice Week (18th-22nd May) has kicked off and Greene King have announced that they will be working with national apprenticeship providers Lifetime Training to help 300 young people in Scotland kick start their hospitality careers. Apprentices will receive a combination of work place and academical training to enhance their experience in the hospitality industry.Greene King, who operate over 1900 pubs, restaurants and hotels across Scotland, England and Wales, hope to have at least one apprentice in each of their outlets which include Bellhaven Pubs and Hungry Horse.
Rooney Anand, Greene King chief executive officer, said, “This year, we plan to deliver over 300 apprenticeships in Scotland. We are pleased to be able to support young people as they take that all-important first step on the career ladder. It is highly encouraging to see that so many of our sites have taken up the programme and we hope that over the coming years we are able to further grow and develop the scheme.”
Greene King are using the scheme to combat the shortage of chefs in the industry. Since last summer, 75% of the apprentices recruited for scheme have been for back of house roles. Rooney commented, “Apprenticeships help to reduce team turnover, increase employee engagement and provide us with the opportunity to grow our own talent by investing in our people and supporting their career ambitions.”
The move is part of a U.K. wide scheme to recruit 2000 Greene King apprentices in 2015. Since 2011, Greene King have supported 4,500 apprentices across the U.K.