5 minute read
THE CO-OPERATIVE APPROACH: COLLABORATING IS THE KEY TO SUCCESS
Earlier this year, retail group the Co-op recruited ten Customer Service apprentices in collaboration with Apprenticeships at Salford City College for the first time. After two months working in their headquarters in Manchester, we caught up with the team over a virtual interview to see how they were getting on.
Plans for an apprenticeship programme in partnership with Apprenticeships at Salford City College originally stemmed from a wider initiative in the Co-op sphere: ‘My Co-op Career’. This is a framework used to organise all the learning and development opportunities available to colleagues, helping them find their own path.
In 2019, the Co-op’s People team started to plan out a way to introduce this new programme in to the group’s Business Services function. Laura Bullen, Learning and Development Programme Manager at Co-op, said: “After much discussion about the value that apprenticeships could add to Co-op Business Services, we identified that our Sales and Service team had plans to take on more work in 2020.
“This gave us the opportunity to introduce apprenticeships in this department as part of their recruitment plans. Our Sales and Service team were passionate about bringing in new talent; this passion alongside the expertise of our L&D, Resourcing and Apprenticeships teams (which led to our partnership with Apprenticeships at Salford City College), is ultimately what enabled us to deliver these apprenticeship opportunities. ”
Through Apprenticeships at Salford City College, the Sales and Service team were able to access a more diverse range of candidates. Laura explained: “We were determined to bring people into the business who may not have normally passed our interview process, because of lack of previous experience in a contact centre, for example. Our Resourcing team set up an assessment process which focused on our Co-op behaviours using scenarios rather than asking candidates about their prior experience We wanted to widen participation and social mobility.” For businesses and organisations, apprenticeships are an investment. Spending the time and resource to nurture apprentices sees the business benefit from valuable new talent and a new perspective within the workforce.
Louise Timperley, Apprenticeship Manager at the Co-op, explained: “Apprenticeships are a great way of doing business. It’s a way of bringing in new creative ideas and new technology skills whilst injecting more energy into your organisation. These are all the things you want to address when you are recruiting.”
“The best thing about apprenticeships, for me, is linking new talent with experienced individuals within the business. It really is a two-way process, it’s not just about the young people learning from the older people within the organisation. It works both ways within any business, whatever sector.”
Starting in the midst of a global pandemic the ten newly recruited apprentices started their induction at the Co-op through a series of virtual induction sessions. But as the measures relaxed and it was safe to do so, the team were able to reunite in the Co-op’s central Manchester headquarters.
Nicole Heath was working in a show jumping yard in Macclesfield, but was let go due to Covid-19. This was all before starting her apprenticeship at the Co-op in Customer Service. She commented: “So much of the role is talking to people and building on our communications skills. Since working here those skills have dramatically improved for me.”
Gabby Savage-Dickson graduated from university in the summer with a degree in illustration and animation. She found herself then working in bar job that she didn’t enjoy. She explained: “My degree field was quite narrow and there weren’t a lot of job opportunities at the time of me leaving university, given the pandemic. I enjoyed working at Co-op so much while I was studying that when I came across the apprenticeship, I thought it would be perfect for me.”
Six weeks into the Customer Service apprenticeship, Gabby explained that she has already learnt so much from the team. She added: “My IT skills have really improved throughout all the training that we have received. I haven’t really been on a computer since I was 18 at college, so coming here and learning all about IT has really helped me.”
For these apprentices, the future is bright. With many avenues to go down within Co-op, there are endless possibilities. For Nicole, the goal is to work her way up in the head office to a higher position in the future, but for Gabby, working within the community is her ambition.
She explained: “I definitely think that working in the community is something that I would like to do. I did a couple of units within my degree on community arts and other projects like that. Co-op offer a lot of funding for community projects and it’s something I would really like to pursue in the future.”
The man in charge of mentoring these apprentices is Matt Davidson, the Sales and Community Team Manager. He has been with the Co-op for almost five years, over which time his team has grown from 25 to around 600 people across different sites in the UK and South Africa.
Speaking about the mentoring, Matt said: “I have loved every second of working with these apprentices. To watch ten strangers come together and create their own little family in the space of two months has been amazing. They’re such a tight-knit group and it’s amazing to see how they have stuck together and really looked out for each other.”
He added: “To walk past and see them working together so well has been a testament to their hard work and it’s so nice to see as a manager. We’ve still got another 13 months to go, but I’m really excited to see where this takes them.”
If you are wanting to find out more about Apprenticeships at Salford City College, contact the team to find out more on 0161 631 5555 or email apprenticeships@salfordcc.ac.uk.
