In the latest in our Apprenticeships in Focus series, Robin Searle spoke to Mark Wooding about headline sponsor Virgin Holidays’ plans to develop ‘the leaders of the future’
Until now, Virgin Holidays’ apprenticeship scheme has been a relatively small part of its training and development strategy, with about 25 staff trained as apprentices since its introduction in 2012.
But following changes to the way apprenticeships are funded and administered – including the introduction of a levy for large businesses – they are set to become an increasingly key focus in the coming years.
“The initial scheme was set up in 2012 for our retail stores, and extended to include back-office roles in areas such as marketing, HR and finance,” says head of leadership and professional development Mark Wooding.
“It’s been a fairly small scheme so far, but we are looking to really ramp things up from next year.”
Renewed focus
As a large employer, Virgin Holidays is required to pay the levy, which sees 0.5% of a company’s payroll paid into a pot used to fund apprentices.
As well as making financial common sense to recoup the levy payment, Wooding believes the renewed focus on how apprenticeships are delivered means they will play a much greater role in the years to come.
“The introduction of the new structures and the lack of age restrictions means apprenticeships are going to become more widely applicable, and that means they are going to become an increasingly core part of our wider development framework,” he says.
“We are already seeing interest in management and higher level apprenticeships, so there’s no reason why over the next three years apprenticeships shouldn’t be a part of a career pathway for existing staff and new starters.”
Proper planning
Rules around the levy mean that companies have 24 months to use their contributions before they are pooled to fund apprenticeships for non-levy payers.
With that in mind, Wooding says Virgin Holidays will take its time to get things right.
“There’s no point having a knee-jerk reaction, so we’ll start things slowly with around 10 retail recruits later this year and also look at opportunities in our contact centre,” he says.
“We’ll ramp things up considerably in 2018, but we have time to plan properly. If, for example, we were to take on 100 or 150 apprentices next year, that would represent a big uplift, so we need to make sure we don’t bite off more than we can chew.”
Training provider
To have maximum control over the delivery of its apprenticeships, Virgin Holidays has applied to become a training provider, and will find out if it has been successful.
Wooding says: “If we can attract talent into our organisation and give them the best possible start, then we have a much better chance of retaining them.
“We want to focus on the areas where we are generating most opportunities to get maximum return from the levy funds, but there have to be clear pathways for those who have aspirations to become the managers and leaders of the future.”
He adds: “We are passionate about making this work and developing our people. The travel industry as a whole has a real appetite to seize the opportunity to propel itself up a notch in terms of offering career opportunities, and we would love to be seen to be setting the gold standard
‘It’s not just about retail’
One of the challenges facing the industry is a perception that apprenticeships are available only in retail sales. Nyki Dilworth, operations director at Vertical Systems, explains how the travel technology company is challenging this misconception
“I started as an engineering apprentice here 30 years ago, and since then we’ve taken on about 60 apprentices in programming, admin, accountancy, technical support, engineering and SEO.
“The changes to apprenticeships could cause some problems as there will be some big companies taking on apprentices but not offering them full-time careers, so we need to really showcase those companies that are committed to training and keeping them.
“When we say we are a supplier to the travel industry, people assume we offer travel agent apprenticeships.
“There is a massive range of opportunities in the travel industry, and we go to a lot of careers fairs and explain to young people – particularly girls – that there is a lot more to it than just agencies.
“Apprenticeships are amazing and offer real opportunities for young people who might not necessarily be great at exams. Hopefully, the changes and new focus on apprenticeships will make them stronger than ever.”