Starbucks Celebrates National Apprenticeship Week in the UK

With National Apprenticeship Week in the UK underway, two store partners from the Colmore Row store in Birmingham recognise the importance of the Starbucks Apprenticeship programme. Since its launch in 2012, Starbucks has placed over 1,500 partners with jobs in stores across the UK with one in five achieving promotion including to supervisor and store manager positions.

Jenny Williams, store supervisor Level 3 Apprentice

“I was working for Starbucks as a barista and often heard colleagues talk about the apprenticeship scheme and its benefits for gaining a variety of skills while building a management career. I thought the scheme could be a good way to gain more confidence and to progress within the company. I spoke with my supervisor, who encouraged me to apply.

As soon as I joined the scheme, my confidence both in and out of work started to improve. I can’t believe the progress I’ve made both in my career and personal life. The scheme has taught me how to become more comfortable in taking ownership of tasks such as managing the till area, which has led me to build personal relationships with our regular customers, learning their orders and other little details that can change their experience in store for the better.

Through the Starbucks apprenticeship scheme, I have met so many wonderful people and really have enjoyed doing it. I have been able to put everything I have learnt into practice at work and have been able to share these insights and learnings with my team. I have learnt so many new skills over the past year and my self-esteem has grown so much.”

Chantelle Dolman, store manager

“I would always go in to a Starbucks during my college breaks and one day asked for a job. When my college days were coming to an end, I didn’t know what I wanted to do so my supervisor suggested the apprenticeship scheme. I didn’t know what to expect but the prospect of getting paid while learning new skills and gaining qualifications appealed to me.

I applied for the apprenticeship scheme and have really loved the instore experience, the life coach meetings and the monthly classroom and webinar sessions, which are facilitated by a specially trained store manager.

If someone would have told me that the apprenticeship scheme would lead to me running my own store, developing and learning crucial life skills such as managing a team and running a retail store, I wouldn’t have believed them. I fully recommend the apprenticeship scheme and believe if you put the work in, anything can happen.”

About Starbucks Apprenticeship

Starbucks has placed over 1,500 apprentices since it launched in 2012 with one in five apprentices achieving promotion including to supervisor and store manager positions.

The Starbucks Apprenticeship scheme offers a series of levels to help enable career progression. The first two levels take 12 months to complete, in which the apprentice gains a NVQ Level 2 in Barista Mastery and Customer Service and then a NVQ Level 3 in Leadership and Management – equivalent to two A-Levels.

In March 2015, Starbucks announced higher level apprenticeships as well as professional qualifications so our partners can study to degree level, earning while learning in disciplines such as management, digital and IT as well as in retail operations. At the same time, we introduced the opportunity to improve literacy, numeracy and language skills to support progression and employability for our partners.