Untapping potential in the hospitality sector
Greene King has always looked at innovative ways to be more accessible to people from all backgrounds, particularly those whose circumstances might stand in the way of their potential. To reinforce its commitment to supporting social mobility, it released its Untapping Potential Report this June.
The report lays out its latest initiatives that link directly with the Government’s Levelling Up agenda, emphasising the role pubs have in supporting jobs and upskilling, but also helping to rebuild after the pandemic.
Greene King's projects continue to support people from all backgrounds across the UK, creating opportunities for people experiencing homelessness, veterans and refugees, and young people looking to secure employment.
One key initiative is Greene King's recommitment to apprenticeships. There are big plans to expand its offering to improve career opportunities across local communities, which aligns with Lifetime’s own commitment to creating a democracy of opportunity. Here’s how we’re working together to take its apprenticeship provision to the next level.
Using apprenticeships as a vehicle for change
Greene King believes good job opportunities for everyone are an essential driver for social mobility, which is why apprenticeships are an essential part of its overarching strategy. Since 2011, 97% of its pubs have supported apprentices, helping over 15,000 people to realise their potential and develop careers in hospitality.
Over the last eight years, Greene King has partnered with us to establish an apprenticeship programme that challenges the barriers to diversity and inclusion, with a dedicated Partnership Team at Lifetime to make it happen. The provision has continued to evolve over that time to reach people from all backgrounds and areas of the business, with over 10,000 achievers so far.
We've continued to work closely together to help grow Greene King's offering. Now, it has over thirty apprenticeships available to upskill a variety of roles, creating rapid progression routes from entry-level to management, across Back of House to Front of House, Management, HR and L&D, Business Support and Customer Service.
And its provision continues to expand. Through Greene King’s training provider network, it has grown its offer from Level 2 to Level 7 to increase opportunities to widen social mobility. Greene King’s commitment to developing 5,000 new apprentices by 2025 will support its latest ambition to help even more people access meaningful, rewarding hospitality careers in their local businesses.
In recognition of its commitment to driving social mobility, Greene King has received back-to-back awards. Not only is it a Top 100 Apprenticeship Employer, but it has been recognised at the UK Social Mobility Awards too (Best Recruitment Programme of the Year 2018 and 2019 and Leadership of the Year in 2020).
How the partnership works
Lifetime engages with Greene King on both a local and national level. We have a team of coaches that work directly with managers to upskill apprentices on-site or virtually. It's an example of how we’ve developed a national programme that enables consistent, but tailored learning, to meet the individual needs of each of Greene King’s sites.
Our coaches are supported by a dedicated management and engagement team, who attend area meetings and conferences to promote the benefits and broaden the offer of our apprenticeship programme, so we can reach more people.
Tackling perceptions and creating business impact
Three in five young people see hospitality as a short-term career, with 82% identifying a lack of career progression as a barrier. Working together, we’ll continue to use apprenticeships to change this perception, putting the hospitality sector on the front foot as a skilled profession and valued career route.
By doing so, we’ll reach more people from different backgrounds – and give them the tools needed to progress. Through robust career pathways and clear development routes, we're creating a ladder of opportunity for successful, long-term careers at Greene King, so more people stay, upskill in new areas and progress their careers.
64% of employees who started an apprenticeship are still at Greene King and the average length of service for an employee who has achieved an apprenticeship is six years (compared to three years for non-apprentices). But apprenticeships aren't just improving retention. Our Impact Evaluation surveys found:
From Apprentice to General Manager
Charlene Troth’s journey to General Manager is a prime example of how robust apprenticeship pathways effectively drive social mobility and level-up careers.
After completing college, she joined Greene King full-time and started her first apprenticeship. Since then, she’s continued to progress, achieving Hospitality Team Member Level 2, Team Leader Level 2 and Hospitality Supervisor Level 3.
Once she'd achieved the Hospitality Manager Level 4 programme, Charlene was promoted to General Manager. She's now an ambassador for apprenticeships, encouraging her team to take up the same opportunities that built her Greene King career. Her achievements have been recognised too; she was highly commended at the 2021 BAME Apprenticeship Awards. Now, she’s looking to go even further with a Level 5 qualification.
“Throughout my journey, there has been a clear career pathway, meaning I knew exactly what I had to do to become a General Manager. I have been a GM for four years and still use the theories I learnt from my previous apprenticeships. I've learnt the differences between being a leader and a manager, which has been vital to my success. It’s shown me how powerful training and development can be – apprenticeships teach you skills you will need in any career.”
Upskilling the next generation of leading chefs
Looking to level up its chefs of the future, Greene King launched its Chef Academy in partnership with Lifetime earlier this year. Aimed at both internal and external candidates, Chef Academy is hands-on, role-relevant training for learners on Production Chef programmes, bringing skills to life and inspiring Greene King’s next generation of leading chefs.
Chef Academy is designed to get the very best out of chefs. It opens up opportunities for all ages and levels, equipping Greene King’s chefs with industry-essential culinary skills through a fast-track system for career development.
Guided by talented chefs with years of industry experience behind them, chefs learn from the very best by enrolling in masterclass academies – an invaluable opportunity in an industry where on-the-job learning can be hard to find.
The future of apprenticeships at Greene King
Looking to the future, we’ll work with Greene King to drive its continued ambition for widening social mobility, using apprenticeships to create greater opportunities for people from all backgrounds.
Whether it’s developing new programmes to reach more people or delivering Chef Academy to the next generation of chefs, we’re excited about the next phase of our partnership and how it will continue to unlock the potential of Greene King and its people – especially those who need the opportunities the most.
-
Developing an award-winning talent strategy
Wolseley uses apprenticeships to develop its people and attract new talent. Find out how its award-winning strategy is making it an employer of choice. -
Increasing cost savings and improving retention
Since developing life-changing skills with Lifetime’s award-winning training programmes, Aldi has reported significant cost-saving benefits. -
Becoming an employer of choice
A strategic apprenticeship approach at Care UK has led to expansive programme growth in three years, that has both developed and retained talent.
What we do
We develop industry-essential skills for the hospitality industry. Find out how we can unlock people potential across your business.
Request a call backApprenticeships are an integral part of our social mobility strategy – and our provision only continues to expand. Working with Lifetime and other partners, we’re supporting people from all backgrounds build successful hospitality careers in their local communities, helping everyone to meet their potential.
