Make the right connections with apprenticeships

EE Ltd.

Apprenticeships are a vital part of EE, the largest digital communications company in the UK, employing more than 600 staff at its Merthyr Tydfil contact centre.

The company needed a new resource pipline, a better way of retaining staff during crucial periods, a new approach to developing future talent and an opportunity to grow their community support model.

The programme has seen attrition and sickness halve, employee engagement levels triple, productivity improve and costs reduce. Absence reduction alone has saved more than £300,000 annually.

EE developed its Apprenticeship Programme in 2012 with The College Merthyr Tydfil, with 90 apprentices starting in the first year. They now have over 400 apprentices.

“We knew that around 11 per cent of people aged 18 to 24 in Merthyr Tydfil were on Jobseekers’ Allowance, providing an opportunity to tap into a key demographic,” said Claire Litten-Price, Operations Manager.

“Apprentices are full of energy and enthusiasm. They’ve grown up with technology and intuitively understand our customers’ changing needs. And that brings new skills into EE, which, when mixed with the experience of our longer-serving employees, gives us something special to really drive our service ambition.”