Learning and earning

Krispies has taken on two apprentices in the last nine months, offering a clear career path for the individuals while providing passionate, dedicated staff for the business

I think most of you will agree that finding staff is one of the most difficult aspects of running a fish and chip shop. Then there’s training and retaining them, which can be just as challenging.

In my opinion, it’s partly because people still believe that a fish and chip shop is just somewhere you work to earn a bit of spending money. We wanted to change that perception by making Krispies a place you could come to to gain a career.

So last year we looked into taking on our first apprentice. An apprenticeship is essentially a job with qualifications. As an apprentice you not only work for Krispies but you also get a college education, which means you will gain both a recognised qualification and essential relevant skills whilst working and earning a wage.

We partnered with Exeter College and in September enrolled our first apprentice, Megan. It was actually very easy to set up and after arranging a meeting with the college, they assessed what it was Megan was looking for and found the right course for her that would fit with the perimeters of the business and meet the criteria she needed to gain the qualification.

Since then we’ve enrolled another apprentice, Scott, on a different course while Megan is now doing Level 3 Management and Leadership. They are both getting on great, we meet with college tutors once a month to discuss progress and they are enjoying the courses while earning a wage at the same time.

Equally, it’s working for us too as the guys are learning skills at college that they can bring back to the shop. Hospitality is extremely important to us at Krispies and many people believe that within a takeaway environment that it can’t be achieved. This is partly why we wanted to do these courses as well, to show that even though we are just a takeaway you can give a higher level of service.

If you, like us, value your team, want to invest in your staff and give a better working experience and a career, I would thoroughly recommend considering the apprenticeship route. Approach your local college and see what they have to offer. You will need to be available to help and support staff when needed but it’s worth it and it’s a great showcase to highlight to others what you are doing as a business.