Citation
(2013), "Apprenticeships deliver skilled employees at City Link", Industrial and Commercial Training, Vol. 45 No. 6. https://doi.org/10.1108/ICT.03745faa.006
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Apprenticeships deliver skilled employees at City Link
Article Type:
Notes and news
From:
Industrial and Commercial Training, Volume 45, Issue 6
Almost 150 employees of express parcel carrier City Link have completed a 12-month apprenticeship program.
The initiative, believed to be a first for the sector, focused on developing the skills of a range of employees, from front-line staff to potential managers.
The scheme has not only given employees opportunities to develop their own abilities but has also helped them to spread good practice across the business and instil City Links right-first-time ethos in teams across the business.
The apprentices have worked towards NVQ qualifications, level 2 for drivers and warehouse staff and level 3 for managers, with training provided by an internal City Link training team.
The program was initially offered to existing employees only – a total of 146 have completed the program to date. This year, though, it will also be rolled out to 80 new recruits between 18 and 25.
All the course materials are linked to City Links business. The apprentices have undertaken a mixture of classroom-based workshops, assignments, activities and experiences. The front-line course also includes an emphasis on literacy and numeracy skills.
Much of the training takes place on the job. For example, warehousing and distribution apprentices go out with a City Link driver and work a night shift at the central sorting hub in Coventry to get a flavor of how their roles affect other parts of City Links operation. The warehousing and distribution NVQ, which takes 12 months, includes health and safety, picking and moving goods, checking stock levels and supervising the receipt, storage and dispatch of goods.
The NVQ level 3 in leadership and management is more classroom-based and also lasts 12 months. On top of the basic modules around leadership, coaching, self-management, working with others and commercial awareness, apprentices work on their personal-development plan and prepare a coaching plan to help to develop their own team.
Scott Maynard, human resources director of City Link, said: “Our apprenticeship scheme will build the capability of the business and give employees the opportunity to progress their careers in the business. To have such a high completion rate is just fantastic. We are really excited about plans to extend the scheme to school and college-leavers this year. We feel it is really important in todays economy to give young people a chance to get on the first rung of the career ladder.