Morson's Commitment to the 5% Club Charter for Apprentices

The charter is an industry-led initiative focused on promoting the recruitment of apprentices in the workplace, with the ultimate goal being to have at least 5% of the workforce in the business enrolled through various ‘earn and learn’ schemes

The organisation aims to achieve positive results from both a business and social point of view by address the growing skills gap in the country as well as tackling youth unemployment.

Through joining the club, Morson pledge to maintain a minimum of 5% of our workforce enrolled in apprenticeship schemes at any time across the business. We believe that by joining the 5% club we will play a role in Britain’s long term prosperity, benefitting business and society alike, and aim to both encourage and work with other businesses to participate in the campaign.

Becki Ross, head of HR for Morson Group, said

“We are committed to developing the skills and knowledge of our workforce through a structured programme of training and development for both new and existing employees.  A vital part of this strategy is the delivery of our apprenticeship programmes. We currently have over 5% of our workforce working towards an apprenticeship qualification and will continue to develop this approach to meet the needs of our business and career development and engagement of our employees.

The commitment to the 5% Club comes less than a year after the introduction of the Apprenticeship Levy, which requires all companies with an annual payroll in excess of £3million to pay 0.5 percent into a levy pot to fund three million high quality apprenticeships by 2020.

“For large firms like ourselves, the 0.5 per cent payroll levy constitutes a large sum of money, which is why it’s crucial that we devise a strategic plan that reflects skills needs within the business over the next 3-5 years” said Becki.  “This will allow us to provide appropriate, high-quality training, and committing to the 5% club is a reflection of this.”

Morson are also taking active steps to promote conversations across the industry surrounding the importance of apprenticeships. In January 2018 we are hosting a HS2 roundtable event where key rail suppliers will discuss the opportunities to develop new solutions, particularly with apprentices and how we can use the Apprenticeship Levy to its best advantage.  The roundtable will also include presentations to share insights, learnings and best practice from key figureheads at HS2 Ltd, the National Skills Academy for Rail and Network Rail.

Marie Rayner, head of process at Morson and the organiser of the event said,

“Joining the 5% club demonstrates our commitment to developing future talent. Apprenticeships and training are critical to the success of major projects and the UK’s infrastructure investment plan. By hosting events and roundtable discussions, such as our HS2 roundtable on SEE outcomes, we are actively working with the industry to ensure a sustainable talent pipeline.”