Bluewater says “You’re Hired!”
Published: 16 February, 2011
To coincide with National Apprenticeship Week at the beginning of February, Bluewater celebrated the success of its ground-breaking apprenticeship scheme.
Bluewater supported National Apprenticeship Week earlier this month with a series of activities to highlight the importance of apprenticeships to both businesses and individuals.
The week began with Bluewater’s retail manager, James Waugh, and Kent County Council Deputy Cabinet Member, Avtar Sandhu, participating in a merchandising task with real-life Apprentice, Melissa Cohen, one of the stars of Alan Sugar’s famous BBC One TV series.
Bluewater’s support of National Apprenticeship Week follows the launch in 2009 of the Bluewater Apprenticeship Scheme, a unique initiative developed by Bluewater and The Learning Shop that gives high-flying 16 to 24 year olds the skills and experience vital to a career in retail. Last year, The Learning Shop found employment for 2,600 job-seekers, trained over 1,000 retail staff, and awarded over 800 formal qualifications.
Andrew Parkinson, Bluewater’s general manager, said: “We believe apprenticeships are a great way for people to begin a career in this industry. Apprenticeships are also invaluable to employers, creating confident, motivated and skilled individuals with a good balance of practical experience and formal qualifications.
“We would strongly recommend businesses support National Apprenticeship Week, and that people looking to build a career and gain professional qualifications visit our apprenticeship hub and roadshow to find out how they can take the first steps.”
Parkinson explained that The Learning Shop is a partnership between Bluewater’s developer Lend Lease, North West Kent College and Jobcentre Plus. It became a member of the National Skills Academy for Retail - the training initiative fronted by Skillsmart Retail - in April 2009.
And a year on it can already point to some real-life success stories. For instance retailer Pumpkin Patch is providing a placement for Bluewater Apprentice, Vicky Collingwood. She is completing a Level 2 qualification in Retail Knowledge and Retail Skills and has already made a big impression on the company. Pamela March, Pumpkin Patch director of UK operations, said: “Pumpkin Patch believes in giving people opportunities to grow and develop, so we are really behind the scheme.
“Our apprentice, Vicky, has made tremendous progress and we are hoping to be able to offer her a permanent position with us when she has completed her course. This opportunity has given her a bright future and has also reaped benefits for our business. We are very proud to be a part of it.”
Another Bluewater retailer to have benefitted from a retail apprenticeship through The Learning Shop is Austin Reed, which recently employed Alex Wylde, after he completed The Learning Shop’s pre-employment course, which aims to deliver essential knowledge and skills in the retail sector. The course also helps to build confidence and interview techniques when applying for roles. Alex was unemployed for eight months before approaching The Learning Shop about retail training.
Austin Reed assistant store manager, Chris Wright, said: “We feel it is important to give young people a chance to succeed, and apprenticeships are the ideal way to do this. Employing an apprentice means they can gain valuable work experience while also completing a qualification.
“As an Austin Reed apprentice, Alex is growing in confidence all the time and being trained to our brand’s own high standards. We are really pleased to have been able to offer him this opportunity, especially as he was previously unemployed. It just goes to show that there are good people out there that need to be given a chance.”
