Swiss Post Solutions hails benefits of apprenticeships at London event
Swiss Post Solutions has been invited to showcase its successful training and apprenticeship programme at a special event put on by the Swiss Embassy in London tomorrow. SPS is one of only eight organisations that will take part in the special apprenticeship day for 16-18-year-olds at the House of Switzerland, the public face of Switzerland during the 2012 London Olympics.
The event at Glaziers Hall on London’s South Bank is being held in partnership with Southwark Council and the National Apprenticeship Service to showcase the benefits of vocational training for young people.
SPS said that apprenticeships are the entry route for employment for two-thirds of students in Switzerland, but in the UK university education is currently more popular than vocational training.
The SPS Academy has operated a successful apprenticeship and training programme since 2007, encouraging employees to obtain qualifications that will benefit their work and their future careers.
Richard Scott, academy manager at SPS Academy, said: “The quality of our people allows us to stand out in the marketplace, but quality comes with appropriate employee training and engagement.
“We learned very early on the value of investing in apprenticeship training. Our Academy provides a structured career development plan for all levels of employee built around each individual and offering them the chance to achieve nationally recognised qualifications.”
Apprenticeships
David Dorrell and Sophia Probert say vocational training has allowed them to learn new skills and improve their work while continuing in their jobs
Sophia Probert, an SPS apprentice from April 2011 who recently completed her Level 2 Business & Administration NVQ whilst at the same time working in the HR Department, said her qualification translated seamlessly into her own work, allowing her to use skills from the NVQ in her job.
“Working and studying at the same time also means I can apply some of the things I have learned in my position to the various modules making the studying experience for me much more practical and relevant,” she said.
SPS said in part thanks to its training and apprenticeship programme, it was proud to say 78% of its managerial positions were filled internally.
David Dorrell, who originally joined SPS on an apprenticeship as an HR Administrator, has seen promotion to HR information adviser and subsequently to bid manager within the company’s business development team.
Dorrell said: “Training has enabled me to gain skills that have allowed me to progress my role and career at SPS. It’s also increased my salary prospects. Perhaps most importantly for me SPS’s Academy has increased my confidence in my own abilities, and how I can apply these professionally.”
Tomorrow’s event includes an information day followed by an invitation-only evening reception, at which Baroness Wilcox, Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Business Innovation & Skills (BIS), and Ursula Renold, Swiss Federal Office for Professional Education & Technology will both deliver a keynote address.
