Compass partners with The Ladder for Greater Birmingham

Compass Group UK & Ireland, the UK’s largest foodservice company, is joining forces with The Ladder for Greater Birmingham with the aim of supporting and promoting apprenticeships across the region.

The Ladder initiative was born 10 years ago in London, to bring together partners and showcase apprenticeships and the value they can bring to individuals, employers, and communities. The local Birmingham campaign, launched in 2018 - aiming to create thousands of new apprenticeships. It supports employers and training providers to improve skills and employment opportunities to help tackle youth unemployment.

Compass is now an ‘Employer Partner’ and will support their ‘Have a Go’ sessions, offered to young people aged 16 – 29 in the new Ladder for Greater Birmingham Skills Academy, which opened in February this year. These sessions are hands on, showing what different industries and job roles would entail.

To kick start the partnership, Compass supported the Summer Skills Programme event with Christopher Alexander an Executive Chef and Jon Kapa, Chef De Partie, from its Restaurant Associates sector. They were doing culinary demonstrations, including creating a healthy jerk chicken salad and giving out goodie bags to those attending, which included a recipe card for a simple plant forward recipe. In addition, the partnership will see the organisations work collaboratively to enable The Ladder to utilise Compass’ Regional Community Skills Hub in Edgbaston, due to open early next year.

Compass has a longstanding commitment to training and development, through its Our Social Promise commitment. Launched last year, it promises to provide support to one million people, from both within and outside the organisation by 2030. It aims to enhance opportunities and change lives through job creation, education, training, community, and charitable engagement.

Apprenticeships play an important role within this commitment, the organisation currently has 600 people on programmes, ranging from a Level 2 to a degree level higher apprenticeship, across subjects such as finance, culinary, Front of House, events and leadership.

Jonathan Foot, Head of Apprenticeships and Early Careers at Compass Group UK & Ireland, commented: “The Ladder has the platform to help tell the stories of different career options for young people and I would always advocate that the hospitality and service industry is an exciting one to enter with endless opportunities. I am really looking forward to working together to show local people what we can offer them.”

Kevin Davis, Chair of The Ladder Foundation: “As Chair of The Ladder, I’m so pleased to welcome Compass Group UK & Ireland to The Ladder family. As one of the leading catering, cleaning and facilities management service companies, they demonstrate the breadth of vocations, that can inspire apprentices, and those seeking to recruit them. I look forward to working with them.”

As an Employer Partner, Compass will also be one of the sponsors at The Ladder for the Black Country Apprenticeship Awards this November.