Early Careers

Whatever your role and wherever your ambition lies, you’ll have the opportunity to tailor your training to meet your needs, and we’ll give you all the support we can to discover where your talents will take you.

Make your development work for you

Career Pathways

At Compass, not everyone’s learning pathway takes the same route. It doesn’t matter if you’ve worked for many years or are just starting your career, you get to choose the development that’s right for you from our specialist courses and programmes.

If you’ve got the spark to build upon our passion, we’ve got a role to help you realise your full potential. Join our friendly team to work across a portfolio of market-leading brands, develop skillsets you didn’t know you had, and open doors to opportunities you didn’t know existed.

Onboarding & Induction

At Compass we understand how daunting starting a new job can be, from meeting new people, learning key Health and Safety procedures and understanding how the business operates day to day, not to mention trying get a handle on the terminologies that every business seems to have! With this in mind we have specifically designed a suite of induction plans for every role within our business. Every On-boarding and Induction process not only delivers all of the necessary compliance training required to operate a safe, secure and legal business but also gives in depth look into the new role, its purpose and goals and insight into the day to day operational procedures to ensure everyone has the knowledge, skills and behaviours to excel in their role long term.

Online Learning

At Compass we pride ourselves on being global leaders in our field, but it’s not only limited to our operational business in contract catering and support functions, it’s also our Online Learning Portal that continues to remain at the forefront of innovation and development. Our Learning Portal allows colleagues to learn on the move with our ON-Demand Offer, book onto workshops, complete Learning Analysis to validate skills and even store all certificates and badges to use as their very own personal Learning Profile to support every stage of a learning journey.

Development Workshops

We believe that everyone should have the opportunity to reach their potential and draw on the expertise of a business as large and experienced as Compass, which is why we have teamed up with various experts across the organisation to create a catalogue of development workshops to suit every need. We have everything covered from personal and business development through a whole suite of Management and Performance workshops and even a link to Profit Protection and Sales & Retention, to ensure anyone can benefit from the subject matter experts within our business.

Apprenticeships

What is an apprenticeship?

An apprenticeship is a funded programme where an individual gains new skills, knowledge and behaviours in a chosen sector. An apprenticeship will enable you to work and earn a wage whilst developing and gaining new skills as an employee.

Why become an apprentice with Compass Group?

It’s about giving yourself the very best shot at a fulfilling career. We’re people powered, so we make it our mission to recruit talented people and then help them to thrive, rewarding excellence every step of the way. It is a great opportunity for you to begin or change your career in an environment where you will be supported with practical experience alongside achieving a nationally recognised qualification.

Apprenticeships are for everyone!

This is your chance to grow, learn and develop your skills with the help of our training and coaching.
Don’t let the chance pass you by. You don’t have to be new to Compass. You could have worked here before or you could be working here now. But you do have to be an EU resident for the last three years, have a permanent employment contract, work a minimum of 16 hours a week and be able to demonstrate basic English and maths skills.

Remember, an apprenticeship is the start of the journey. From there the only way is up: an amazing opportunity not to be missed.

How Do Apprenticeships Work?

It takes between one and two years to complete your apprenticeship, depending on what you go for and the hours you work. Our three apprenticeship levels are:

Level 2

Intermediate apprenticeships (level 2) – perfect for anyone who wants to gain a recognised qualification for new skills.

Level 3

Advanced apprenticeships (level 3) – for when you’ve already got a solid foundation (such as a level 2) but you want to push your skills further.

Higher

Higher apprenticeships – ideal if you’ve set a degree level qualification in your sights, as this will help you to gain a deeper understanding of your specialism.

Tierney Ball – Events Assistant Level 3 Apprenticeship

After finishing my A-Levels I knew that University was not for me and that I wanted to go straight into the world of work. An apprenticeship was best suited for me as this enabled me to begin working, while continuing to learn, on the job. For me, learning whilst working and enjoying my role, is how I learn best, therefore an apprenticeship was highly recommended to me and is something that I am glad to have started.

Since starting my apprenticeship I have learnt a lot about the industry and how different parts of the industry operate and how to manage a range of tasks. I feel that starting my apprenticeship has helped to develop my confidence and has pushed me to do things that I would have turned away from in the past, like dealing with problems that occur whilst I am managing an event and knowing how to address these in the correct way rather than turning to someone else to solve. The different points that I have learnt whilst taking part in my apprenticeship are contributing to my personal development as an event coordinator.

During my apprenticeship so far, I have enjoyed the responsibility I have been given during the running of an event. This is a role that includes organising staff throughout the duration of the event, organising the delegates and solving any problems they may have and also being able to oversee the whole event.

I am aiming to work my way up to becoming a full-time Event Manager. I would love to run a corporate and event sector within Compass Group and have the ability to achieve goals and targets whilst fulfilling the role.

Mohamed Karaa – Commis chef Level 2 Apprenticeship

Before I started my Apprenticeship I had limited knowledge of English and maths. I was finding it quite difficult to deal with certain things in the kitchen and also I was quite nervous with writing and composing emails, but my Qualifications Manager made me feel at ease and comfortable and taught me about writing emails and expressing myself through writing.

I gained lots of knowledge and information on food, food safety and how to make myself a better chef. My qualifications Manager was always available and we would work on my development as a team.

I also learned a lot in cooking and how to prepare meat and fish and make traditional dishes with them. It made me understand things better when I came back to my workplace.

I feel that I am a better chef and am feeling extremely confident in the kitchen. I can compose and write good emails now and I have a much better understanding of math and cooking in the kitchen.

Todd Turner – Operations Manager Level 5 Apprenticeship

I am not naturally an academic learner, I did not exceed tremendously at school, as my learning style is more akin to kinaesthetic learning, with on the job skills. This apprenticeship has given me the ability to show what I can do whilst applying my skills and knowledge, rather than just complete theoretical learning and documentation.

My main focus has been around trying to understand the theories and models which I currently use in day to day life.

I have already completed my level 3 and my level 5 in leadership & management. Both of which have supported my career growth. My next step is to complete my level 7 in leadership & management, ideally continuing the apprenticeship route to the
very top of the qualification.

Since joining the apprenticeship I have been promoted, and I continue to utilise the knowledge and skills it is giving me to support my career growth. Most importantly though I know that I want to be able to lead as many people as possible and support their development and ensure they are happy within their lives.

For those who are considering starting an apprenticeship, my advice would be to jump in! Be committed, be present and be ready to enjoy learning. The great thing about apprenticeships is you get to try different skills, different theories, and learn from them. Most importantly, share the knowledge.