Rewarding Apprenticeship Strategy

Compass Group has been crowned winner of the Best Emerging Talent Strategy award for its apprenticeship strategy at The Firm Awards 2017, which were held at 8 Northumberland Avenue in London on Thursday 23rd March.

The Awards celebrate the individuals and teams who have excelled within the in-house recruitment and talent management industry and Compass was praised by the judges for its dedication to career development. The company's apprenticeship programmes offer clear career pathways which can take new learners from entry level courses through to a Level-5 qualification, equivalent to a higher education diploma.

The flagship apprenticeship is Compass' Chef Academy, which gives 16-23 year olds the chance to become chefs, developing their culinary skills through a combination of working full time in one of the company's kitchen, completing coursework and attending workshops held in specialised cookery schools.

The additional investment in Compass' apprenticeships is all incorporated in its goal to increase its apprenticeship starters from 500 to 1500 by the end of 2017. The target was launched in March 2016 alongside a film-themed marketing campaign, "It's the start of something big", which included a video featuring a selection of current apprentices as well as posters and other collateral used in internal and external communications.

Compass is also represented on many apprenticeship bodies. Melanie Hayes, Resourcing & Development Director, is on the Apprenticeship Delivery Board, in addition to Compass being part of the national and regional Apprenticeship Ambassador Network, People 1st Task Force, City & Guilds Industrial Steering Board and three Trailblazer Groups.

Hayes was delighted by the team's success, stating: "As a people-powered business, investing in our colleagues and developing their talents is an absolute focus for us so I'm over the moon that we've won the Best Emerging Talent Strategy award. Our team driving our apprenticeship strategy work incredibly hard to develop and deliver a great range of apprenticeship programmes that span our diverse business and this award is testament to their hard work and dedication."

For more information about joining the apprenticeships scheme, please visit: www.jobsatcompass.co.uk.