Greencore
Growing the Next Generation of Food Industry Leaders Through Degree Apprenticeships
Greencore is one of the UK’s leading manufacturers of convenience foods, supplying a wide range of chilled, frozen, and ambient products to major retailers and foodservice operators. Recognising the importance of building a future-ready workforce, Greencore has actively invested in apprenticeships to support early careers development, succession planning, and workforce capability across its nationwide operations.
Apprentices
Greencore welcomes a diverse range of apprentices across multiple departments. The company first introduced early careers degree apprenticeships in September 2018 and continues to grow the programme annually. Apprentices are offered a structured and supportive development journey, combining practical experience with academic learning.
I started my journey with Greencore and NTU back in 2019 on the Degree Apprenticeship Scheme and was thrown into the world of manufacturing. Having never stepped foot in a food factory before it was quite daunting at first, but I was provided with great training, guidance and mentoring from my colleagues at Greencore Spalding and the early careers team along with the knowledge gained from studying at NTU.
Adam Moulds – Level 6 Chartered Manager Degree Apprentice at Greencore
Course(s)
Greencore apprentices study a range of degree-level programmes, including Food Industry Technical Professional and Chartered Manager Degree Apprenticeships, delivered in partnership with Nottingham Trent University (NTU).
Outcomes
- Increased confidence and professional development in apprentices
- Clear succession planning across key business areas
- Enhanced industry-specific knowledge brought back into the workplace
- A growing pipeline of future leaders within the business
- Stronger engagement and retention of emerging talent
Greencore is a keen ambassador for apprenticeships at all levels, across a variety of roles.....Apprenticeships enable learners to not only learn theory applicable to their role and industry of employment, but they enable the activation of this learning in a real-world environment, meaning the learner develops a holistic set of skills and knowledge which they can apply throughout their career journey.
Hayley White, Early Careers Manager at Greencore
Business Need
Greencore’s rapid growth and complex operational structure created a pressing need for future talent with both industry-specific knowledge and leadership potential. The business identified apprenticeships as a strategic route to develop this talent internally while providing career progression opportunities for ambitious individuals.
Goals & Objectives
Greencore set out to:
- Build a sustainable internal talent pipeline
- Equip colleagues with up-to-date, applied knowledge
- Strengthen employee engagement and retention
- Support business-critical roles with trained, motivated professionals
- Develop the future leaders of the business
Our Approach
The first cohort of early careers degree apprentices joined Greencore’s business in September 2018.
The regular contact between NTU and Greencore supports the company to ensure it understands how its apprentices are performing and what progress they are making in their academic studies.
This partnership is key to ensuring success, both for the apprentice and for Greencore.
Positive Impact
We have seen the confidence of our apprentices grow in terms of both their personal and professional development. Our colleagues on these programmes return to the business with new knowledge and skills that they are able to apply to their day-to-day roles.
Longer term, as the programmes mature, we see our apprentice alumni strengthening our succession pipelines across a number of key business roles, therefore providing a rolling provision of skills and capability crucial to business growth.
"NTU has been a supportive and responsive partner throughout, helping us stay connected to how our apprentices are progressing and ensuring their success in both academic and professional settings".
Hayley White, Early Careers Manager at Greencore
Request a call back
If you are interested in finding out more about apprenticeships at NTU and the support available to employers who take on an apprentice, simply enter your details in the contact form below and a member of our Apprenticeships team will be in contact to discuss your options.