We've welcomed fifteen apprentices this month as part of our ongoing commitment to invest in the workforce of the future. This latest intake brings our total number of apprentices to 292 since 2001.
The apprenticeships, which have been developed in partnership with Sunderland College, give on the job experience while allowing apprentices to study towards a qualification in their chosen career. Our new apprentices have joined us across a variety of business areas including Repairs & Maintenance, Human Resources, Procurement, Property Investment, Legal and Estate Services.
The new recruits came out on top of over 364 applicants for the vacancies and will now begin an exciting 2 – 4 year training programme. The appointments come with a starting salary of £12,500 rising by £3,000 on successful completion of each year as well as a range of attractive benefits including 29 days holiday plus bank holidays, a cash healthcare plan, employee assistance programme and access to an online portal of retail discounts.
As part of our ongoing commitment to providing training and employment opportunities in Sunderland, six placements have also been created through the Government funded Kickstart scheme, which focuses on creating jobs for 16 to 24 year-olds on Universal Credit.
Gentoo’s Chief Executive Officer, Nigel Wilson, said:
“I am delighted to welcome our new apprentice cohort to Gentoo.
“We have a strong track record of supporting people on their chosen career path through apprenticeships into successful full-time employees and are committed to delivering an outstanding level of service to our customers by investing in our workforce.
“I look forward to seeing this year’s apprentices develop and reach their potential with the ongoing support of colleagues across the Group”.
Amy Murphy, who is beginning a Business Administration apprenticeship at Gentoo, said:
“We’ve had an amazing first few days learning about the business and have already started developing our skills and knowledge which is down to our fantastic and supportive colleagues.
“We’re all very grateful for this incredible opportunity we’ve been given and can’t wait to come into the office every day and work hard to build our careers at Gentoo.
“Personally, I am looking forward to working with multiple departments which will allow me to get a great understating of how the business areas work together to provide a great service for our customers.”
