Brother director Jones goes back to basics in job swap
The managing director of Greater Manchester-based communications and technology giant Brother UK will be swapping the boardroom for an apprentice role, as National Apprenticeship Week comes to an end.
Managing director Phil Jones, along with infrastructure and shared services director Louise Marshall and supply chain and service director Keith Howe, will take up roles as apprentices specialising in digital and social media, business administration and electronic engineering.
The job swap takes place tomorrow (Friday 10th March) at the end of National Apprenticeship Week 2017, a government initiative aimed at encouraging more businesses and young people to consider apprenticeships.
Brother UK, which is shortlisted in the Employer of the Year category at the upcoming Business Masters Awards , has offered apprentices at its Tameside headquarters since July 2014 and has pledged to increase apprentices to make up 5% of headcount by 2019.
Jones said: “Our job swaps are not just for fun. They allow our senior leaders to better understand our apprenticeship programme and how it could be enhanced while also underlining to our apprentices how crucial they are to the future of Brother UK.”
Alongside the job swaps, Brother is hosting 50 students from schools across Tameside who are part of the firm’s Big Brother mentoring programme.
The initiative encourages young people to consider career opportunities in the STEM (science, tech, engineering and manufacturing) fields and provides students with work experience in one of the North West’s leading employers.
Jones added: “At this stage in their development young people need real-life experience in business, not only because it boosts their credentials for further education or work but also so they can begin to shape their thoughts about future career direction.
“But this absolutely works from our perspective, too. Millennials have invaluable digital, communication and social skills that are essential for our market.”
