Our Investment in Apprentices and Trainees
16 August 2022
Kirsty and Lewis from our HR team provide insight into the training and development opportunities available at Bagnalls.
What would you say sets Bagnalls apart as an employer when it comes to training and development?
Kirsty: We are ranked by the Department of Education in the top 78 apprenticeship employers in England, which for a company of our size is an exceptional achievement.
We have a strong dedication to apprenticeships as well as our management trainee scheme, which develops people internally to become Contract Managers and Surveyors.
At Bagnalls, we’re all about empowering people and giving them the tools to excel within their role, which is why we support people’s ambitions to progress and learn. If there’s a course a member of staff would like to participate in or a qualification they want to pursue, as long as it’s relevant to their job then we will support them 100%.
Lewis: I think it’s also important to note that we’re a member of The 5% Club, which attests to the fact that at least 5% of our staff are in training or learning positions.
Around 8% of our staff meet these requirements at present, with our track record of exceeding expectations in this regard resulting in our status as a Gold member of the club. This evidences just how vital the development of our staff is to our business.
How has Bagnalls been continuing to improve the training and support it offers employees over time?
Kirsty: Our Management Trainee Programme has been in place in one form or another for over 30 years, operating in a similar way to a graduate scheme. It’s quite rare for a company to have such an extensive scheme operate for so long and with such success, and that’s a testament to the dedication to updating and improving the scheme over the years.
The fact that people like Lewis and I have been brought into the business to shape these training schemes shows Bagnalls’ commitment to continual improvement in this regard.
For example, we’re currently in the process of digitalising all our assessments for the Management Trainee scheme to make the process smoother and easier, and we’re working with the colleges our apprentices attend to make sure that together, we’re providing the best learning possible both at college and on the job.
Our Training Academy, which had a refurbishment earlier this year, also shows this commitment to the learning experience and our desire to go beyond what is expected of us as a trainer and apprenticeship employer.