Hays Travel owner Dame Irene Hays has revealed the importance of apprentices to the business as it is named one of the country’s top apprenticeship employers.
The travel agency has been ranked 32nd in the Top 100 Apprenticeship Employers for 2024, an annual list compiled by the Department for Education.
It is featured alongside companies such as The British Army, BT and Tesco in the list, which recognises the commitment of employers across England which create opportunities for apprentices. The list also assesses firms on how many apprentices successfully complete their programme and receive an apprenticeship qualification.
Speaking to presenter Peter White on the You & Yours: Gap Finders show on BBC Radio 4, Hays revealed last year the company took on 546 apprentices, and 400 this year.
The final intake for this year’s apprentices will be confirmed after GCSE results on August 24.
She said: “Quite categorically, the success of Hays Travel in no small part is due to the incredible young people we employ as apprentices.”
She added there was “a big challenge around recruitment last year”, referring to an industry-wide challenge across travel in 2023 caused by people leaving the sector during the pandemic.
Speaking further about the importance of apprenticeships, she spoke about “a moment I will never forget” with a young man called Gary who was about to be fired following after receiving a final written warning during his Youth Training Scheme at a local authority transport depot.
His mentor Ted advocated for him in the meeting with HR that Hays was attending as part of her trainee management course, and it was decided to give him a second chance and only issue him “a final, final written warning”.
The young man eventually became a manager of a bus depot and said to his mentor in tears after the meeting that “nobody has ever stuck up for me before”.
Hays said: “From that moment, I thought the power of apprenticeships sometimes for people who have come out of school unencumbered by qualifications, it’s almost a second chance in a different environment for people to flourish and succeed.”
She continued: “There was a moment when I thought how much good could be done if you give people that second chance.”
On news that Hays has been recognised for its work on apprentices, Hays Travel chief operating officer Jonathon Woodall-Johnston said he was “delighted and extremely proud” to be included in the list of top 100 apprenticeship employers.
“As someone who started my career with Hays Travel as an apprentice, I have first hand experience of how well our learning and development team prepare people for a long, exciting, and successful career with the company,” he said.