The Seafood Restaurant and Lancaster London appear in Top 100 Apprenticeship Employer 2016 list

28-Jan-2016 - Last updated on 26-Apr-2021 at 18:14 GMT

Greene King apprentices Luke Myers

Related tags Apprenticeship Employment Guild

Seven businesses from the hospitality and foodservice sectors, including Rick Stein's The Seafood Restaurant and London hotel Lancaster London, have been named a Top 100 Apprenticeship Employer 2016.

The list, compiled annually by the National Apprenticeship Service, and sponsored by City & Guilds, recognises the businesses that display the highest standards of excellence in employing apprentices.

Greene King, River Cottage, Compass Group UK & Ireland, Elior UK and KFC UK also appear on the list, which was revealed on Tuesday night at the Grosvenor House, A JW Marriott Hotel, in London.

The awards, now in their 12th year, also recognise apprentices who have made a significant contribution to their workplaces.

Nadhim Zahawi, the Prime Minister’s Apprenticeship Adviser, who presented the awards, said: "There are many examples of excellent apprenticeships and apprentices in England and these winners are the best of the best. It’s an honour to have been part of these awards; to play a small part in recognising the effort of so many great businesses and to reward apprentices for their hard work and dedication. All this year’s winners should shout from the rooftops about what taking an apprenticeship has done for them or what hiring an apprentice has done for their business."

Melanie Hayes, resourcing and developing director for Compass Group UK & Ireland, which employs 500 apprentices each year, said it was a 'great achievement' to be on the list for the first time.

“Apprentices make up a valuable part of our business and as a leading apprenticeship employer we are very passionate about training those who we employ at the start of their careers with the right skills and knowledge for their future and for our business," she said.

Greene King, which includes Spirit Pub Company, has taken on 7,400 apprentices since 2011.

Chief executive Rooney Anand said: “We are very proud to be celebrated as one of the UK’s Top 100 apprenticeship employers by the National Apprenticeship Service. As a leader in the hospitality industry which employs more than 42,000 people, we feel that we have a responsibility to develop and invest in our employees."

Government support

Today People 1st's executive director Martin-Christian Kent, will be sharing his organisation's experience of apprenticeships and skills development within the industry with the All Party Parliamentary Group for the Visitor Economy (APPG).

He said: "Labour turnover is costing the sector £274m annually and 88 per cent of the 993,000 projected staff needed by 2022 are to replace existing staff.

“Businesses across the industry have rallied enthusiastically to the government’s call to put employers in the driving seat of the new apprenticeships. The new, more robust apprenticeship standards, set to land this spring, could have an extremely positive impact on the key issues of retention, progression and attraction of future talent. However, with the visitor economy set to contribute approximately one fifth of the total apprenticeship levy, we believe it is vital that the government support employers to develop a system that reflects the needs of industry in order to deliver quality apprenticeships."