Company taps into energy of apprentices to join shortlist for national award

Posted on by karen.smith

EE’s operations manager Claire Litten-Price with some of the company’s apprentices.

The largest digital communications company in the UK, which employs more than 600 staff at its Merthyr Tydfil contact centre, has been shortlisted for a prestigious national apprenticeship award.

EE is a finalist in the Macro Employer of the Year category at the Apprenticeship Awards Cymru 2014 and will be attending a high profile awards ceremony at the Celtic Manor Resort, Newport on Friday, October 31.

The awards, divided into 13 categories, are organised jointly by the Welsh Government and the National Training Federation for Wales (NTfW).

Showcasing excellence in skills development in Wales by learners, employers and learning providers, the awards are sponsored by Pearson PLC with support from media partner, Media Wales.

The awards recognise employers who commit to developing their workforce through apprenticeships and other work-based learning programmes, which support employees during their training. They are also a great way to evaluate training and development, as well as a fantastic motivational factor for any workforce or learner.

The Apprenticeship Programme in Wales is funded by the Welsh Government with support from the European Social Fund.

Apprenticeships are a vital part of EE, which serves more than 27 million customers on mobile and WiFi products. The company’s Apprenticeship Programme was developed in 2012 with The College Merthyr Tydfil and 90 apprentices started in the first year.

EE wanted to tackle high frontline staff attrition levels, improve its resource pipeline and develop future talent. The company also knew that around 11% of people aged 18 to 24 years in Merthyr Tydfil were on Job Seekers Allowance, providing an opportunity to tap into this group and grow its community support model.

The programme has seen attrition and sickness halve, employee engagement levels triple, productivity improve and costs reduce. Absence reduction alone has saved more than £300,000 annually.

“Apprentices are full of energy and enthusiasm,” said Claire Litten-Price, EE’s operations manager. “They’re our very own ‘Generation M’ insiders, who have grown up with technology and intuitively understand our customers’ changing needs. And that brings new skills into EE, which, when mixed with the experience of our longer-serving employees, gives us something special to really drive our service ambition.”

Deputy Minister for Skills and Technology, Julie James said: “Apprenticeships are one of the most practical and cost effective ways for a business to build a skilled workforce. An apprentice can learn the skills an employer needs to keep pace with developments in their industry and deliver the service customers demand. I am delighted that employers like EE, share the Welsh Government’s commitment to training our future workforce.”

More than 400 key stakeholders from the vocational education and training sector across Wales are expected to attend the high profile awards ceremony, where guests will dine out with chefs from the Welsh National Culinary Team.

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