DCG Success Stories

Morrisons Flowerworld apprenticeships give manufacturing colleagues the chance to shine while at the same time helping the national company address any future critical skills gaps.

That is the view of Claire Slack,  Flowerworld’s HR Advisor Training, who is a valuable link between Flowerworld and Derby College Group, the apprenticeship programme’s training provider.

Derby-based Flowerworld, which makes over 400,000 bouquets every week using hand tying methods and machinery, is a unique facility with specific training needs.

Claire said: “It’s not like a flower shop where bouquets are made up while people are in the shop. It’s a manufacturing facility, processing flower orders on a mass scale, so we require different skills.

“To deliver the right apprenticeships we work closely with the college to see if the training we can offer our apprentices matches the criteria.

“To help them to marry up I am in the process of writing another workbook. That way our Team Managers, mentors and shift managers can support our apprentices to access training opportunities in the factory.”

Before joining Flowerworld, Claire worked at DCG’s Broomfield site delivering functional English to floristry, horticultural and agricultural students.

She added: “I provide a link to apprentices between study and employment and having an education background has really helped me in my unique role as mentor, nurturer and confidante.”

Flowerworld currently employs three level 2 floristry apprentices as well as four more on its new lean apprenticeship.

As lean manufacturing apprentices they are learning how to multi-task so they can operate machinery and work safely and efficiently in Flowerworld’s fast paced environment.

Claire said: “Upskilling our colleagues gives them confidence.

“It helps them with their individual aspirations and opens up progression routes into other areas such as team management and floristry retail. It allows them to show us what they’re made of; it lets them shine.

“As employers we’re better able to recognise those colleagues who are committed and not just treading water; colleagues who could potentially become managers.

“They don’t have to be school leavers either. One of our apprentices is in her 40s. We can continue learning at any age.

By investing in our people, we’re planning for the future; we’re thinking about our talent pipeline and plugging any critical skills gaps.”

Flowerworld currently employs nearly 950 people, including staff in its recently introduced flexi pool of flexible colleagues to assist at particularly busy times.

The facility prepares 1.3 million bouquets a week in the run up to Mother’s Day.