We are great advocates of training whether it’s in house training, external training at the NFFF or apprenticeships. We believe it’s vital for any business to offer an extensive and varied training program to ensure our workforce is qualified but what we often find is, it can be easy to overlook our more mature team members!

Almost one in three companies expects the number of employees over the age of 60 to increase significantly by 2020, according to the latest study by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU). This is broadly in line with the expectation that the Government will extend the state pension to 70 and beyond, forcing more people to stay in work. Across the whole of Europe the EIU has found that the age of retirement is being pushed back as state benefit systems fail to keep pace with low birth rates and rising life expectancy. This major shift in demographics will force more of the workforce to remain active in the employment market into later life. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/jobs/10634819/Employers-face-new-challenges-from-ageing-workforce.html

So, we were delighted when Jane Hill recently completed the advanced level apprenticeship in Fish and Shellfish; proving it’s not just for our younger team members.

Investing in training for the more mature is just as important as it is for our younger generation for us, as they can already bring something with them that really can’t be taught or learnt - and that is life experience. In our industry the thing I love so much is every day is different and you never know what will happen, having people on your team with that life experience and their problem solving skills is invaluable. Jane is always first to work, meets everyone with a smile, ready to offer advice and sets a fantastic example to our younger team members; and after 10 years with us she certainly a customer favourite.