Employer of the Month for October

Continuing the first anniversary celebrations of the Great Western Railways (GWR) and Exeter College Apprenticeship partnership, we are delighted to announce GWR as our October Employer of the Month.

We spoke to Andrew Perry, Learning and Development Manager at Great Western Railways who told us all about their outstanding Apprenticeship programme and why Apprentices are so valuable to the organisation.

How many Apprentices do you employ, what do they do and what courses are they on?

Our award-winning Apprenticeship programmes encompass all strands of our business, Operations Level 2 and Business Improvement Level 2, Engineering Level 3 and our Aspire into Management program is a Level 5 Apprenticeship. We currently have 50 apprentices on programme across 4 schemes.

Why do you employ Apprentices in your company?

Our need for skilled and innovative talent has never been so important, as the significant changes to our network draw ever nearer (including Electrification and the Intercity Express Programme). Apprenticeships are at the very centre of our future recruitment plans and mission critical to business success. These programmes encourage more participants and deliver against our core objectives to improve our community reputation, encourage a learning culture and improve retention.

How do Apprentices add value to your business?

With ‘Great People’, a key strategic priority for our business, we see our Apprenticeships as an opportunity to inspire future talent. Talent that knows what it’s here to do from day one, cares about it, feels part of our journey, and is proud of it, providing the foundation to deliver our long-term franchise goals.

What do they bring to your team?

Our Apprentice programmes are important to the business as they provide young people the opportunity to evolve into talented professionals and dynamic careers within GWR. Our goal as a team is to deliver Apprentices who have a passion for the brand, with a determination to learn, develop and excel in their careers. Having the Apprentices ensures our team develop theirs skill set to keep pace with the ever changing face of Apprenticeships and the business sector.