James Hall & Co mark National Apprenticeship Week

Apprentices at James Hall & Co have been front and centre of operations this week as the company celebrates National Apprenticeship Week.

With the theme of Skills For Life, National Apprenticeship Week highlights how Apprenticeships and skills open doors to exciting and rewarding careers.

The week also raises awareness of how businesses build future-ready workforces and support economic growth by addressing priority skills gaps.

Apprentices at James Hall & Co contribute to the ongoing success of the company and currently there are Apprentices in roles across Retail, Warehousing, Food Manufacturing, Marketing, IT, Technical, Category Planning, Store Design, Health & Safety, HR and Recruitment.

This includes Apprentices working at James Hall and Co’s SPAR Distribution Centre, its company-owned SPAR retail store division, and its food manufacturing businesses Clayton Park Bakery, Fazila Foods, Ann Forshaw’s Alston Dairy, and Graham Eyes High Quality Butchers.

Wendy Parkinson, Early Careers Lead at James Hall and Co and national member of the Apprenticeship Ambassador Network, said: “We are a proud family-owned business with more than 160 years of history.

“Apprentices across the James Hall Group of Companies are driving our business forward in the present while supporting the business’ succession planning.

“We are synonymous with SPAR, one of the world’s largest retail brands, and with such a diverse business, it means the range of continuous and sustainable career development opportunities we offer are vast and our Apprentices are at the heart of that.”

Emily Bingham is completing her operations manager Level 5 Apprenticeship and is Recruitment and Onboarding Manager at James Hall & Co.

She said: “I began my Apprenticeship journey with the Level 2 recruitment resourcer qualification and progressing to Level 5 has supported my development into a strategic leader. It has strengthened my commercial awareness, governance understanding, and ability to lead at a broader organisational level.

“The Apprenticeship pathway has allowed me to apply learning directly into practice, supporting real business improvement and personal growth.

“I am proud to have progressed through the Apprenticeship route and would strongly encourage others to consider it as a structured and impactful way to develop their career.”

Jamie Philipson, acting high care supervisor at Alston Dairy, is completing a Food and Drinks Process Operator Level 2 Apprenticeship.

He said: “I have been at Alston Dairy for 15 months and when I applied for the position, I really fancied a career change after working in retail for 17 years.

“Branching out into something new has been a great decision. I really enjoy the challenges of working in a food manufacturing environment – fruiting and potting the yoghurt, overcoming any manufacturing hurdles, managing staff, and ensuring orders for our quality products are completed timely.

“I did not go to college or university and instead went straight into the world of work after school. Taking on the Apprenticeship is enabling me to earn while I learn, and I see this Apprenticeship as the pathway to further qualifications to support my new career.”

Ben Etchells, a warehouse team leader, has worked at James Hall & Co for more than five years and is completing a Level 3 Supply Chain Apprenticeship.

He said: “I am in a totally different career to what I expected. I went to university during the pandemic to do my football coaching badges, but I did not enjoy the experience. I was not sure what the impact of the pandemic would be on grassroots sport which is where I wanted to work.

“I began a part time job here, having had other warehouse roles previously, and I have really taken to working in a warehouse environment. There are a lot of moving parts to working in the retail supply chain, being organised to work to the lead times involved, and the challenge of managing people.

“I am applying the knowledge I am gaining through my Apprenticeship to my day-to-day work, and it has already led to me progressing into the Team Leader role I am now in.”