Bakers Apprentices for National Apprenticeship Week
The latest Bakers apprentices have been with the company for around six months now. As this week is National Apprentice Week it seems like the perfect time to look back on their initial thoughts when they first joined Bakers and see if anything has changed.
7th-13th February 2022 is the 15th annual National Apprenticeship week. This year the theme is ‘build the future’. This is particularly relevant to Bakers as there is currently an industry wide push to encourage more young people into print.
Bakers Apprentices: Charlie Vickers, Beth Elliot, Connor O’Driscoll
Six months at Bakers
Beth Elliot has had the opportunity to have a varied experience during her time at Bakers. She recently has moved department and now is in the new role of Despatch Administrator. Beth’s most enjoyable part of her new role is ‘collecting the proof of delivery and tracking shipments’. She likes working at Bakers ‘because they are a local, friendly and hard-working group which feels like a family’.
So far Beth has completed 152 hours of training. She will be gaining a BPIF qualification as a Level 3 Business Administrator once all her training is complete.
Connor O’Driscoll is completing a Level 2 Print Operative apprenticeship at Bakers and working in the planning department. Connor’s favourite part about his role is the varied day to day experience. ‘When I initially started I thought I would just be sticking in planning but I’ve got to have loads of experience on the machinery too.’ Connor has gained lots of experience on the HP Indigo presses, ‘When I first started on the Indigos I really didn’t think I was going to be able to get it but now I feel so much more confident.’ He is now looking forward to spending more time on the AB Graphic Digicons and learning more.
When asked what he liked about working at Bakers, Connor replied, ‘Definitely the people. Everyone is really nice and easy to get on with. When I first started I was a bit nervous but everyone made me feel really welcome.’ Connor has completed 220 training hours so far.
Charlie Vickers is no longer a part of the apprenticeship scheme but is still with the company, in a new role and department. This decision was made as it suited him better. He is still able to develop his knowledge while at Bakers due to the Bakers Academy which is available for all members of staff.
Bakers is an award winning place to work. There is a real focus on our staff’s wellbeing and as part of that there has been a focus on staff training in recent years. This has been done with the launch of Bakers Academy, which is for all new and existing employees to gain a more rounded understanding of the business. This focus has allowed our staff to gain a wide knowledge of printing and means we are well versed in supporting our team when it comes to learning. We are confident that this is an excellent environment for our Bakers apprentices to gain experience and their qualification.