Apprenticeships a key part of brewer’s success story

Posted on by karen.smith

Major Cardiff-based brewer and retailer SA Brain & Co Ltd, which says Apprenticeships are a key part of its success story, has been shortlisted for a prestigious national award.

The company one of 28 finalists in nine categories of the Apprenticeship Awards Cymru, organised by the Welsh Government in partnership with the National Training Federation for Wales (NTfW).

The Apprenticeship Awards Cymru recognise the outstanding achievements of learners, employers and providers involved in the delivery of quality Apprenticeships across Wales. Apprenticeship and Traineeship programmes in Wales are part funded by the European Social Fund through the Welsh Government.

The winners will be announced at a high profile awards presentation ceremony at Venue Cymru, Llandudno on Wednesday, October 24, where the winners of the National Training Awards for Wales will also be recognised. The joint awards which will be attended by around 300 key stakeholders from the vocational education and training sector across Wales.

Sponsor of the Apprenticeship Awards Cymru, which aim to showcase excellence in skills development in Wales, is Pearson and media partner is Media Wales.

SA Brain & Co Ltd, which is a finalist in the Large Employer the Year category, has more than 2,200 employees throughout Wales and the South West of England, including 105 apprentices. With employees in pubs, hotels, restaurants and recently acquired Coffee#1, the company has a diverse range of vocations where it provides opportunities for Apprenticeships.

“Apprenticeships were established within the business to help develop our people in line with the company’s vision,” said Susan Harvey, Head of HR.

“The Apprenticeship Programme was identified as an important tool to help us meet the need to develop managers and teams for the future and to meet the needs of our acquisition and refurbishment plans. It also helps to us retain our current employees and encourage development and transfers within the company, lessening the impact of the transient nature of our industry.”

Brains works with providers Babcock and Cambrian Training Company to deliver Apprenticeship frameworks ranging from Diplomas in Food and Beverage, NVQs in Customer Services and Kitchen Services to Diplomas in Hospitality Supervision and Leadership Skills.

The company has its own Centre of Excellence development kitchen within the Cardiff Brewery where six workstations replicate the equipment of pub kitchens, allowing apprentices and staff to develop skills which might not be practical within their own outlet.

The company, which has taken on 375 apprentices in the past five years, also provides online learning support to all of its employees to help achieve recognised qualifications in Health and Safety and Food Hygiene.

Deputy Minister for Skills, Jeff Cuthbert said: “These awards recognise excellence by individuals, employers and learning providers in delivering training. I am delighted with the standard of this year’s finalists and the variety across all ages and sectors, which shows the strength of the skills being delivered in Wales.

“All the finalists have an inspiring story to tell and are great ambassadors for apprenticeship and other programmes in Wales.

“The skills acquired through programmes, such as Apprenticeships, provide great benefits to individuals and employers, helping make Welsh businesses more competitive.

“The Welsh Government is committed to creating more apprenticeship opportunities for young people in Wales and continuing to support employers who are willing to offer high quality apprenticeship places.”

The NTfW is a network 116 quality assured work based training providers with links to 35,000 employers across Wales.

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