Pizza maker urges change on apprenticeships

1:09pm Friday 22nd February 2008

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An award-winning apprentice has told the government its plans to revitalise apprenticeships will only succeed if more is done to change young people's perceptions of industry.

Reigning Apprentice of the Year Jonathan Pearson, 22, says plans to pour £1billion into apprenticeships over the next decade is "positive" news for thousands of youngsters who, like him, leave school with little hope of success in the workplace.

But speaking ahead of the first government-backed Apprenticeship Week on February 25-29, the pizza factory worker from Leyland also warns that time and money must be invested in giving young people a better insight into the options available to them in later life, or extra training places could end up going to waste.

"When I was at school," said Jonathan, "I remember all the boys just wanted to play football and all the girls wanted to do hair and beauty.

"No one, me included, looked ahead and thought, I want to work in a factory.' "But then again, I had no idea what opportunities there might be for me working in a factory.

"I definitely didn't think about an apprenticeship because I was never told about them."

After leaving school, Jonathan started work on the production line at Schwan's Consumer Brands, based on Moss Side industrial estate in the town, making Chicago Town frozen pizzas.

"I didn't do too well in my exams at school," he continued.

"And I thought all I'd ever be doing was working on the line here.

"Not because I didn't have any ambition, but because I had no idea how to get ahead and do something else.

"I suppose in a way I was lucky because it was Schwan's who came to me and asked if I wanted to do an apprenticeship.

"I didn't even know you could do an apprenticeship in food manufacture.

"Since then, everything has changed for me, and I see work in a completely different light."

Within five months of completing his apprenticeship, Jonathan was made a deputy team leader, and soon after earned the Learning and Skills Council-sponsored Apprentice of the Year title, in June last year.

Articulate, ambitious and eager to learn, Jonathan now has his sights set on a management role at Schwan's.

Last month Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, invited Jonathan to 10 Downing Street ahead of the unveiling of plans to boost apprentice numbers to half a million by 2020.

Jonathan has also become something of an ambassador for the food and drink manufacturing industry, which has been undergoing its own apprenticeship revolution.

Despite being the UK's largest manufacturing sector, the industry has struggled to attract and retain adequate numbers of apprentices to plug gaps in recruitment, prompting Improve, the food and drink sector skills council, to introduce sweeping changes to how apprenticeships in the sector are run.

For Improve chief executive Jack Matthews, seeing Jonathan crowned Apprentice of the Year symbolised the progress being made by the £74billion industry in nurturing the young talent its future depends on.

"One of the major issues facing our industry is the fact that our workforce is ageing and we desperately need to attract more young recruits," said Mr Matthews.

"Other industries have strong apprenticeship traditions, but that is not true of food and drink manufacture.

"The industry is wrongly perceived as low skilled and poorly paid, and that has posed serious problems in attracting young people.

"The government wants to double apprentice numbers in all industries by 2020," continued Mr Matthews.

"We have already set ourselves a target of quadrupling apprenticeships in food and drink manufacture by 2012.

"We have made apprenticeships more flexible, more work-centred and more focused on skills people really need in the workplace, in response to many of the issues employers had with previous programmes.

"Now we need to show young people what apprenticeships can do for them, and I agree with Jonathan, this is a crucial issue."

Jonathan's advice to anyone wondering whether an apprenticeship is right for them is straightforward.

"I'd say, take every opportunity offered to you," he said.

"My apprenticeship has given me the confidence to aim for the top.

"It isn't just the skills I have learned which make me better at doing my job.

"It is also the fact that I have gained qualifications in communication and numeracy, which are designed to be used outside of work as well.

"You don't realise it in school, but without qualifications, you just stay bottom of the pile.

"I'm now in charge of ten people on the line, I sit on health and safety teams and I've helped create troubleshooting manuals to help new employees, night-shift staff, and other personnel reduce downtime during changeovers. Since finishing my apprenticeship, I've completed an NVQ in team leadership and I'm about to start a Level Three NVQ in management.

"I really think I can be a manager here in five years - there's no way I could have ever imagined myself saying that before my apprenticeship."