Member Article

Leading the way with modern apprenticeships

Apprenticeships have come of age. In the 2014/15 financial year there were more than 1.5 million online applications for apprenticeships, in 1500 job roles covering more than 170 industries. Our industry is one of them.

At Wincanton, we currently employ around 50 apprentices and over the years we have helped hundreds complete their training and launch their new career. We are passionate about nurturing talent and developing potential, and benefit hugely from the fresh ideas our apprentices bring to the business.

Our apprentices, meanwhile, benefit from the breadth and variety of career options open to them at Wincanton – from driving through to transport management, HR, finance, IS, business development and warehouse operations. There are great progression opportunities available, too, once they have completed their courses.

We’re seeing the popularity of apprenticeships increase. Alongside the government’s recent focus on apprenticeships, we have seen a real boost in applications and are seeing some exceptionally strong candidates apply.

For many years apprenticeships were viewed as a secondary way of accessing qualifications, a less preferable option to university, but this is now definitively on the change. Many now view apprenticeships as a far less costly alternative to going to university and find the on-the-job training actually gives them a head-start in their working life.

Like apprenticeships, the logistics business has previously suffered something of an image problem, viewed as a less glamorous affair. This, too, is now changing, as logistics becomes recognised as the lifeblood of the economy.

We know that for both our industry peers and the wider business community, logistics offers huge potential for time and cost savings. More efficient, effective supply chain management is delivering solid results for companies up and down the country. With the scale of our business, we are ideally placed to meet that demand.

In the retail sector in particular, shifts in shopping habits are driving a huge amount of change. Retailers need to anticipate demand and fulfil orders faster than ever to win and retain customers, both in-store and online, which means they rely on us to run a responsive, flexible supply chain.

As the recent focus on logistics from the government testifies, with its fast-tracking of a driverless trucks trial to cut carbon emissions, the logistics sector is highly innovative. As the largest British logistics business, so are we.

At Wincanton, we believe innovation starts from the ground up. As our apprentices will testify, our apprenticeship schemes offer the opportunity to get onto a rewarding career path offering a bright future.

To find out more visit www.wincanton.co.uk

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Wincanton Plc .