The famous breakfast brand will welcome applicants to apply from Friday onwards, with apprentices officially starting in the summer. The scheme will be targeted towards college students to enhance their skills and gain practical experience within the engineering and manufacturing sectors.
Believing people to be its greatest asset, Weetabix is looking for talented individuals with drive, ambition and passion and a capacity to challenge the status quo to shape the company’s future. The apprenticeship scheme will take on a total of four individuals in 2016, including two apprentices in manufacturing and two in engineering, with plans to take eight per year from 2017. Using its internal resources to full effect, Weetabix will be enlisting the help of dedicated mentors within its organisation who will provide successful applicants with practical tutorship in Manufacturing, Engineering and Front Line Leadership.
Alex Cosgrove, Head of UK Manufacturing, comments: “We’re really excited about the new Weetabix apprentice programme. Manufacturing is what this country was built and measured on. This is particularly true in Northamptonshire, which remains one of the biggest innovation hubs for food manufacturing, and at Weetabix, we are passionate about developing our people to be the best they can be because our people really make the difference. Tresham College is a big part of our apprenticeship drive and the programme will help us grow new and existing talent within our organisation to ensure we will house the experts and leaders of the future.”
David Higham, Vice Principal for Business Development and Customer Services at Tresham said:
“We are delighted to be able to reestablish and develop a lasting partnership with such a well-known business in the area. By supporting the apprenticeship scheme at Tresham, Weetabix have recognised the need for employers, large and small, to invest in the next generation of their workforce bringing new skills and a fresh insight to their business.”
Stuart Branch, Group HR Director, added: “Weetabix is committed to retaining its values as a great place to work and at the heart of that commitment is our dedication to have the most highly trained, knowledgeable and passionate team members to propel the vision and performance of our business. Operations remain the engine-room of the organisation and it’s something that we are world leaders in, which is why continuing our strong manufacturing leadership and engineering development programmes is of paramount importance to us.
Weetabix’s Engineering Apprenticeship scheme is open to applicants that are enthusiastic about engineering and qualified to NVQ level 2 in Engineering. The Weetabix manufacturing programme is open to anyone with an interest in learning the basics of leadership and business improvement, particularly those that wish to pursue a career in people management. All applicants must have a minimum of 5 GCSEs at “C” or above or equivalent including English and Mathematics. Successful applicants will receive paid salary, with apprentices training at Weetabix’s Burton Latimer or Corby facilities for four days a week and spending a minimum of one day a week furthering their practical education at Tresham College.
In addition to its support of the four successful apprentices, Weetabix will also provide £500 worth of educational sponsorship to other young engineers and manufacturing managers that are starting their career development and training. Successful applicants will be provided with funding to purchase tools or study aids for their courses, receive guaranteed work experience placements at Weetabix and be fast tracked to interview stage for the apprenticeship course the following year. Weetabix’s educational sponsorship is open to students undertaking relevant engineering courses that are aged 16 or below, ensuring young budding engineers get their careers off to the healthiest possible start.