B&Q apprenticeship scheme surpasses 2,000 participants as ‘Class of 24’ graduates
Home improvement retailer B&Q has announced that its latest cohort of apprentices have now graduated.
The B&Q ‘Class of 24’ includes 276 graduates aged from 19 to 72 from all parts of the business.
The retailer has now engaged over 1,850 employees in its apprenticeship scheme, both completed and ongoing. The latest group has taken the total number of graduates to over 2,000.
B&Q is expecting a further 450 employees to embark on the course in 2024. The retailer now offers over 40 apprenticeship options spanning a range of business and life skills, ranging from digital and retail to leadership and sustainability.
The new graduates attended a special graduation ceremony in Birmingham this week which was hosted by B&Q’s Paddy Earnshaw (retail, property & technology director), Andy Moat (people director), and Vishal Thanki (talent & culture director).
Baroness Floella Benjamin, who is best known for her work as an actress, presenter, broadcaster and parliamentarian, also attended as a guest speaker.
Moat said: “It’s days like today that make me particularly proud to work at B&Q. It’s an honour to see the final product of so much hard work and dedication from our colleagues. I congratulate them all on their achievements.
“Our people are the beating heart of our business and we’re committed to investing in their growth and development – regardless of their age, where they work, or what part of the business they’re in.
“We want every employee’s B&Q experience to be rich and fulfilling and our apprenticeship scheme is such an important part of this. We’re excited to constantly add more course options and see more colleagues embark on their own apprenticeship journey.”
