Ahead of National Apprenticeship Week taking place 10th-16th February, the Bakkavor team at Bourne has announced it is offering eight new apprenticeships that will start in September 2025.
Bakkavor Bourne is the largest employer in the area, employing more than 1,250 people. The business specialises in making prepared fruit, stir fry mixes, leafy and dressed salads but also boasts being one of only two companies in the UK that grows and supplies beansprouts for supermarkets at its unique Beansprout Growing Unit. Overlaying this, the Bourne-based enterprise is a people business that takes pride in developing young talent locally – in keeping with the Bourne team’s mantra “we don’t just grow beansprouts, we grow talent.”
Previous Bourne Grammar School student, Ben Parker had to make a choice between embarking on a new career or accepting offers from two local universities. He then discovered the wide range of apprenticeship roles available at Bakkavor and joined Bourne as a Manufacturing Apprentice in 2020 and has since progressed from being a team leader, joining the company’s Graduate Scheme, becoming a section manager and now production manager, across 3 different Bakkavor sites and has recently received his degree from the University of Lincoln. All within four years of becoming an apprentice.
The appeal of manufacturing was in his own words “the fast paced, pressurised environment” but he has enjoyed the opportunities to travel through work, on training courses and for charity events. Above all, Ben feels he has “met great people, made friends for life and has a defined career path with a route to success”. The Bakkavor Bourne team has always believed in and championed the scheme which offers recognised qualifications with a competitive salary and career path. It is a key part of their commitment to the local community.
Georgina Maplethorpe attended Spalding High School and decided she wanted to begin a career in Finance. An apprenticeship at Bourne was the best route to start earning while being able to study at the same time.
“I really enjoyed my apprenticeship at Bourne, being able to learn more about the business and the factory, not just developing my knowledge of finance. I was given opportunities to work on projects, spend time with different departments such as planning and also get involved with different charity events. After completing my apprenticeship, I applied for the graduate scheme with Bakkavor, which I started in September 2023.”
Nigel Bryant (Fruit Factory Manager) is Bourne’s local champion of the manufacturing apprentices and graduates and rightly received recognition at a group level for the way he supports and nurtures them.
Bourne are also proud to have seen one of its previous local colleagues, Jane Spurden, rise to be Early Careers School Liaison Manager. Jane, a previous training manager at Bourne, now works closely with schools and local trusts to identify potential future leaders for the business.
Jonathan Zair, General Manager at Bourne commented: “Investing in new talent locally is something that Bakkavor is extremely proud to do. We are serious about hiring apprentices and helping them to develop long and exciting careers within our business. We currently have 29 apprentices, graduates and placement students at Bourne, having recruited a record number last year. They are our future; we are invested in their success and they in ours! To see previous Bourne apprentices in senior roles across the group in multiple functions provides the best possible evidence of the value of this programme. I am genuinely excited to see such potential convert to talent and demonstrated capability. The future is bright indeed!”