Cumbria’s Cranstons has been handed a national accolade for its butchery apprenticeship scheme.
The family firm said it was delighted to be awarded Best Company Training Scheme at the Institute of Meat and Worshipful Company of Butchers Annual Prizegiving.
Peter Potts, Cranstons senior retail area manager, accepted the award.
Peter said: ‘’It is really exciting for Cranstons to be recognised at a national industry event for the quality of the butchery training we provide. The judges praised our consistent record of creating quality career opportunities and for our track record of producing highly skilled butchers.
“The produce and service our customers love is underpinned by our skilled butchery teams. More than 80 per cent of the Cranstons butchery team, including myself and all our current shop managers started as apprentices.’’
At any one time Cranstons will typically have a handful of butchers qualifying through the apprenticeship scheme throughout their retail and production sites.
Apprentices work alongside a more experienced butcher within their team learning the craft whilst also being supported through a series of training modules and practical’s delivered by external training provider Meat Ipswich.
Current apprentices include Jamie Collins, Leah Fraser and Amy Walker. Michael Roszkowiak is waiting for his final results and Ian Haworth, Callum O’Neill, Connor Carrick, Spencer Allison, Brandon Flannigan and Adam Jackson have recently qualified.
Martin Jones, managing director and former apprentice, said: “Cranstons have a long history of taking people with a passion for food and service and training them to become highly skilled butchers.
“As a company we have found time and time again that investing in apprentices produces truly skilled butchers who develop into our future shop managers and business leaders.
“Our apprenticeship scheme has been crucial in producing the skilled butchers our customers know and love. As a business we are actively expanding the range of apprenticeships we offer, we have currently have two apprentices in our business resources team, Natasha Harvey and Poppy Dixon, and we are also considering whether to add a new deli apprenticeship via the company that delivers our butchering training.
“Cranstons are truly passionate about training the butchers of the future and consistently support our brilliant students to achieve their goals – it’s really all our apprentices past and present who deserve the credit for this award – they really but the hard work and enthusiasm into their training.
“The learning doesn’t stop once the apprenticeship period ends. Cranstons continue to develop these passionate people and skilled butchers who become our supervisors, managers and even directors of the future.”
