A Beverley company has teamed up with managers at The Range to offer employees the chance of an apprenticeship.
TIR Training is currently supporting 20 members of staff who are completing a 12-month apprenticeship in customer service at stores in Hull, York and Scunthorpe.
Joanne Buglass, training officer at TIR Training, said: “We are absolutely delighted to have set up this partnership with The Range.
“The store managers have been very supportive in making sure we can help train the apprentices in the most proactive and structured way possible, which in turn benefits the business.
“These 20 apprentices are the first to enrol and we are looking forward to working with many more.”
Paul Swift, manager of The Range in York, said shop floor workers, checkout operators, supervisors, warehouse and administration staff are all involved.
He said: “We’ve had lots of staff who are interested in completing the qualification.
“As people complete it, we are seeing more and more people showing an interest, which is great.
“The training is on-the-job and they study in their own time.
“Having apprenticeships running within the company is great for everyone involved. The employees get extra training and qualifications, plus there’s no cost to the business.
“They gain extra knowledge to help them in the workplace, which is beneficial for the business.
“We are really pleased with the way the partnership with TIR Training is working.”
Stephen Watson, 24, an officer administrator at the York store, is the first employee to complete the apprenticeship.
He started work there as a part-time checkout operator almost three years ago and hope to progress to an IT-based role in the future.
Stephen, who is also considering working towards a Level 2 or 3 Business Administration Diploma, said: “The way the qualification ran through TIR was absolutely fantastic.
“Whatever job you do, you always have customers, so it will help with anything I choose to do. I’m really pleased I passed.”
Paul Whitehead, 34, housewares assistant at the York store, is also working towards a Level 2 Diploma in Customer Service.
He said: “I’m enjoying getting some qualifications. I didn’t go to college so I thought it would be good to add to my CV. It’s definitely helped me a lot in my job.”
The Level 2 Diploma in Customer Service also includes maths and English and in some cases a BTEC in research and online testing.
TIR training officers visit each apprentice on a regular basis to support them through their training and carry out regular assessments.
In order to achieve the qualification, the apprentices have to demonstrate their competence in a range of areas, including dealing with customers, problem solving and developing their own personal performance.
TIR is a specialist provider of warehouse-to-wheels logistics training and apprenticeships.
The Range opened its first store in Plymouth in 1989 and now has more than 100 stores across the country. It sells more than 65,000 products across 16 departments, including DIY, homewares, furniture, lighting, arts & crafts and garden.
