2008 Employer of the Year Large business (250+ employees) - British Gas
Kelly Bodinham
Employer of the Year Large business
Employer – British Gas
Learning Provider – British Gas academy
An instructor can be seen with 2 apprentices in front of a boiler
Alan says “We work very very hard on our apprenticeships.” In the background apprentices are training in mock work environments “The investment that we put in as a business is nearly 30 million pounds a year, which is a huge portion of our operating profit.” Now the apprentices are being taught to fix the workings of a boiler “Of the apprentices who start with us, 98% of them complete the apprenticeship. Which as far as I’m aware is the highest in the industry. 90% of the apprentices we took on 5 years ago are still working for us. We have a specific team whose aim it is to raise the profile of our apprenticeships. In women only and in minority ethic groups. This year 12% of our trainees will be female and 12% will be BME, and that’s really from a standing start of 1 and 2% a few years ago.”
Kelly is fixing a boiler with another apprentice
Kelly says “I started off doing childcare; I got to as far as I could get to and decided on a career change. There’s loads of opportunities for all sorts of different types of work because the business is so big. I’ve enjoyed learning and obviously I’ve had the support so I haven’t struggled at all. I think it was a really good choice to make.”
Alan says “We offer everybody now the opportunity to complete NVQ’s within their role, to grow and to develop them in their jobs. As of next year we will be tripling our intake of apprentices to encourage more growth in our business.”
British Gas, finalist for the Large Employer of the Year Award at the Apprenticeship Awards 2008.