Compass apprentices address AAN Honorary Apprenticeship Awards

Two Compass Group UK & Ireland apprentices attended the Apprenticeship Ambassadors Network (AAN) Honorary Apprenticeship Awards last month (Wednesday 14 December 2011), addressing a 100 strong audience to advocate training in the workplace.

News
Compass Group news team
Monday 09 January 2012

The AAN is an independent employer-led body that promotes the benefits of apprentices to employers, and is chaired by Sir Roy Gardner, Chairman of Compass Group Plc. Their awards, which were held at Lancaster House, St James Palace and hosted by John Hayes, Minister for Further Education, Skills and Lifelong Learning, celebrated individuals who have achieved success coming from an apprenticeship or who actively promote training initiatives.

This year's awards were given to Sir John Armitt CBE, Chairman of the Olympic Delivery Authority, Allan Cook, Chairman of Atkins Plc, Boris Johnson, Mayor of London, and Frances O’Grady, Deputy General Secretary of TUC.

At the event, Sarah Moran and Amy Hornblow from Compass each spoke about their apprenticeship experience, the skills they've picked up along the way and the benefits their development has had on their careers.

Sarah began working for Compass at the age of 18 as a retail assistant in the Sports, Leisure and Hospitality sector. She was promoted to team leader, took time out to have her little girl and returned to Compass at another contract. She is currently an administrator in the Defence sector.

Amy joined Compass eight months ago after finishing college, and works as a catering assistant with Restaurant Associates, Compass' executive dining business.

Both Sarah and Amy are currently delegates on Accelerate, a nine month supervisory development programme offered by Compass. The course is linked to a Level 3 Apprenticeship in Management, and enables delegates to work and earn while getting qualified at the same time.

Claire Timmins, Head of Learning and Development at Compass Group UK & Ireland, said; "Great people like Amy and Sarah are at the heart of Compass. Our most talented supervisors should have the opportunity to take on more responsibility and bigger roles, and we have created Accelerate to equip them with the right skills and knowledge to do this effectively. The programme develops the skills needed for delegation, appraisals, individual development and team briefings. I’m really proud of all that Sarah and Amy have achieved through Accelerate, and look forward to seeing how they continue on their Compass career journey."

Last year, Compass qualified over 200 employees through the Accelerate Supervisory Development Programme. Compass also offers a comprehensive range of other apprenticeship programmes specialising in an array of subjects including; Hospitality Supervision, Customer Service, Retail, Food & Drink, Professional Cookery and Leadership & Management. Over the past year, the company supported 1,600 apprentices through nationally recognised qualifications.  

- Ends -

 

For more information on Compass Group UK & Ireland:
Tara Carroll, Compass Group UK & Ireland
Tel: 01895 554210 / Mob:  07798 566405
Email: tara.carroll@compass-group.co.uk