Whether a centuries-old brand or a newly-launched sector disruptor, a uniting factor for all luxury brands is the desire to produce products or services of exceptional quality – something that can only be achieved by the preservation and nurturing of the skills that go into creating them. Whether that's hand-crafting a particular material or hand-crafting an incredible hotel experience for a guest, sustaining that spirit of craft and quality over generations is a key priority for our sector – and worth highlighting as we enter National Apprenticeship Week (which, this year, runs from 10th to 16th February).
From the age-old traditions of Savile Row tailoring where skills are passed down on the job to the modern equivalents at brands like Bentley Motors that make use of the Apprenticeship Scheme, protecting and developing a highly skilled workforce is essential for luxury brands’ success. This fact is something Walpole was keen to highlight as a key part of our recent Luxury in the Making study. In this, we reported that the luxury sector is sustains 454,000 good quality jobs across the UK. These highly skilled employees are the backbone of our sector.
While Walpole has been actively campaigning to reform the Apprenticeship Levy (seeking more flexibility for employers and more relevant training for employees), the principle of passing on skills to the next generation is one that is intrinsically and necessarily intertwined with the luxury business model.
"At Aston Martin, we understand that we need to build for our future," says Simon Smith, Aston Martin's Chief People Officer, "which includes nurturing emerging talent through our apprenticeship programme that sits as part of our Early Careers initiative. Leveraging in-work experience with relevant qualifications allows us to build a pool of talent that can grow with Aston Martin and help us maintain our position as an ultra-luxury British performance brand."
The historic automotive-maker's early careers scheme is split between technical and professional career paths, including a four-year apprenticeship programme that combines classroom-based and online learning with mentorship and on-the-job experience across multiple areas of the business. The brand also offers a number of standard apprenticeships that focus on technical skills such as paint, trim, heritage and the environment, working with education institutions to deliver these including University of Warwick, Solihull College and University of Wales Trinity Saint David.
"At Audley Travel, all of our employees are talented, and we are committed to support all team members in reaching their full potential. We encourage ongoing career development in gaining valuable qualifications through apprenticeship schemes," says Head of Audley Private Concierge, whose parent, luxury travel experience company Audley Travel, offers internships, apprenticeships and one-to-one coaching to help develop employee careers. "In the past 12 months, we’ve celebrated many graduations of our employees from their apprenticeships, with many more continuing to study. The comprehensive skills, knowledge, and behaviours our apprentices develop enables Audley Travel to consistently deliver service excellence to our clients."
However, apprenticeships are not just available internally at brands themselves – there are other avenues into luxury, such as at our educational institutions. The Fashion Retail Academy (FRA), collaborates with both British and international retailers to offer fashion and retail apprenticeships at Level 2, Level 3, Level 4 and Level 6 through its training division, Walpole member, EFI Training. On these, students will be employed by a fashion and/or retail brand while studying to gain an industry-recognised Apprenticeship Standard.
"Apprenticeships aren’t just about filling a vacancy, they're a powerful means for luxury brands to nurture the next generation of industry leaders while fostering new, diverse perspectives in the workplace," says Beverley Imrie, Director of Industry Relationships at EFI Training. "And when we say 'next generation of talent' we don’t just mean new hires, we also mean the rising stars already within your business with the ambition and potential to lead the future of luxury.
"For this reason, we are very happy to be working closely with Walpole to support leading luxury brands break into the apprenticeships space, wherever they are at in that journey."
Of course, the tangible benefits of an apprenticeship is not just for the brand, but it's transformative effect on the people who participate in them. Imrie shared the below quote from one of EFI Training's recent Harrods Retail Academy graduates, who studied L3 Retail Team Leader.
"To my programme manager - you made my experience so great and taught me so much. I had such a negative experience at school, but you completely changed my view on learning and education. I always looked forward to seeing you at the FRA and you are definitely the USP of the Harrods apprenticeship – anyone would be so lucky to be taught by you. You have helped me develop my knowledge and put me on a great path to developing a strong career which I appreciate more than you know!”
If you're looking into an apprenticeship in the luxury sector, scroll down to see a few offered by Walpole members – and if you're a member looking for advice on how to embrace apprenticeships at your brand or discuss the Apprenticeship Levy, please email [email protected].
Automotive, Aviation & Maritime
> Aston Martin (more information here)
> Bentley Motors (more information here)
> Rolls-Royce Motor Cars (more information here)
> Cunard (more information here)
> Jaguar Land Rover (more information here)
Beauty, Fragrance & Wellbeing
> Estee Lauder (more information here)
Culture & Recreation
> British Library (more information here)
> Historic Royal Palaces (more information here)
Homeware & Interiors
> Goldfinger (more information here)
Educational Partners
> Fashion Retail Academy (more information here)
Travel & Tourism
> Audley Travel (more information here)
Lead photograph courtesy of Aston Martin
