National Employer Service

News & opinion

  • Forget manufacturing, the future is food, says Sainsbury’s boss

    Via The Times

    Sainsbury’s and Asda are setting up landmark schemes to train apprentices and sell the food retail industry as a career choice.

    The move comes as Justin King, Sainsbury’s chief executive, said that Britain should create a world-leading food industry rather than trying to save its ailing manufacturing sector. The food industry had been neglected by policymakers, he said.

    Sainsbury’s will announce today the opening of Britain’s first bakery college, which will speed up and standardise the training of bakers for its 412 in-store bakeries. Sainsbury’s first apprentices will begin their training next month. It said that the bakery college would halve the time taken to train a baker to NVQ-level and would improve quality control.

    Posted: 10 March 2010

  • BT’s customer service apprenticeship completed by 100 contact centre staff

    Via HR Magazine

    One hundred BT contact-centre advisers have become the first to complete the organisation’s customer service apprenticeship.

    Posted: 18 February 2010

  • Majority of workers claim training prospects are key when looking for a new job

    Via HR Magazine

    British workers are continuing to demand training provision, with 82% believing training opportunities are vital for their career development and 78% saying it’s a key benefit they would look for in a new job.

    Posted: 17 February 2010

  • Would you like qualifications with that?

    Via The Times

    McDonald’s assistant manager Kizzy Islam is proud of the training and career prospects that his ‘McJob’ has given him

    Posted: 12 February 2010

  • More jobs in store at Tesco and Sainsbury’s

    Via The Mirror

    Tesco and Sainsbury’s have both announced new recruitment plans for 2010. Sainsbury’s plans to recruit 300 apprentices over the next year to its meat, fish and bakery schemes, as part of its pledge to have an apprentice in each store. Tesco Bank is recruiting more than 1,800 staff to work at two new customer service centres, opening in Newcastle and Glasgow.

    Posted: 12 February 2010

Opinion

  • A truly demand-led skills system – a prize worth having

    Peter Butler
    Head of Learning, BT

    Peter Butler, BT’s Head of Learning, outlines his vision for a truly demand-led skills system. Adapted from Peter’s keynote speech at the NES Ofsted employer conference, 30 September 2009).

  • Investing in skills in an economic downturn

    Contributors include British Gas, E.ON UK and Sainsbury's

    Businesses need to continue to invest in training in order to survive the downturn, according to leading NES employers.

  • Why we must expand apprenticeships

    Andy Smyth
    Accredited Programmes Manager, TUI UK

    Winner of the Employer of the Year category at the recent NES Awards, TUI Travel UK and Ireland’s Andy Smyth reflects on the value that apprentices bring to the business and suggests they must become more widespread.

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