Helen Pedder – Caroola Group Head of HR tells us
At Caroola, our apprentices are an integral part of our business and we’re heavily invested in their professional training and development. We’ve seen first-hand the positive impact that our apprentices have had, not only to the long-term goals of the business but in building their own successful careers.
Caroola is a professional services group specialising in managing accountancy tax, employment and legislative compliance. The group provides a range of market-leading solutions to the UK’s professional contingent and small businesses workforce, and has been a key employer of apprentices since 2010.
Caroolas’ commitment to apprenticeships
Their in-house Learning and Development team work closely with managers across the group to ensure that training needs are met. On average Caroola employ just over 10% of their total headcount as apprentices across their multiple business sites in the UK, of which a significant proportion progress to permanent positions within the business. The team has career maps in place for all apprentices with clearly outlined progression opportunities for each specific career path.
Paragon Skills are Caroolas’ chosen apprenticeship training provider partner and this involves delivering an apprenticeship solution to employees across their multiple business sites throughout England in addition to managing their Academy – a dedicated training facility based at their Warrington office.
Dedicated Caroola Training Academy
We are currently delivering apprenticeship training to over 150 employees/apprentices at the Academy. This partly includes new employees/apprentices recruited by our specialist recruitment services and matched to the employer, and current Optionis employees that are upskilling through a variety of apprenticeships. We offer the same services throughout the group’s multiple business sites to ensure that we meet the recruitment objectives to develop the organisation’s talent pool, and develop the skills of current employees.
Helen explains how apprenticeships play a valuable part in developing a talent pool
“We recognised the need for additional support within specific business areas, including Accounts, Administration, Tax and Payroll, which we believed would offer suitable opportunities for those wishing to start a career in these areas.”
Delivering a bespoke apprenticeship solution
Paragon Skills currently manage the delivery of apprenticeships across the group’s business sites and the Optionis Academy for the development of their accounts professionals and support staff through a mixture of classroom-based delivery, workplace learning and blended programmes which include:
- Assistant Accountant apprenticeship Standard (Level 3) including Level 2 & 3 AAT qualifications
- Professional Accounting apprenticeship Standard (Level 4) including Level 4 AAT qualification
- Professional Accountancy apprenticeship Standard (Level 7)
- Business Administration apprenticeship (Level 2)
- Business Administrator apprenticeship Standard (Level 3)
- ILM (Institute of Leadership & Management) accredited Team Leader / Supervisor Standard (Level 3)
- ILM accredited Operations Management apprenticeship Standard (Level 5)
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