Degree apprenticeships at Red Carnation Hotels

Established by the United Nations General Assembly in 2014, World Youth Skills Day celebrates the strategic importance of equipping young people with skills for employment, decent work and entrepreneurship. At Red Carnation Hotels, our multi-award-winning global People & Culture team are passionate about employing and developing youth skills in the workplace. We are delighted to offer a fully funded Chartered Manager Degree Apprenticeship.

We recently caught up with Emily Kirk, Graduate Recruitment and Development Officer to highlight what it’s like to embark on a Degree Apprenticeship at Red Carnation Hotels.

Red Carnation Hotels is known for its broad and varied learning and development programme, but can you please take us through how the company is specifically supporting youth development and skills?

Although we put a huge emphasis on learning and development for all of our employees, we do have several programmes that are focused more specifically at supporting youth development. These programmes include our Internship, Degree Apprenticeship and Management Programmes. We provide tailored learning and development courses for each of these programmes, to ensure that each person meets their development goals. As well as this all our learners have me as a dedicated contact in People & Culture to help support and develop them throughout their time with us.

What is a degree apprenticeship? How does it differ from an internship and our other Management Programme?

The degree apprenticeship is a fully-funded programme that incorporates university with work. The programme is for three years and gives the person an opportunity to grow and develop into a future hospitality manager. You finish the programme debt-free, having achieved a degree and three years of work experience to add to your CV. The Degree Apprenticeship is slightly longer than the Graduate Management Programme; people that join us for a DA are usually coming to us for their first work experience, so need a bit more time for their development and to complete their studies!

How can someone apply to be part of the programme and when is the best time to start the application process?

We usually start the programme in September, so we take applications from July onwards.

What can someone expect from participating in the Degree Apprenticeship?

Experience in working in different departments within the hotel, being able to be involved in projects, support from the People & Culture team and access to the Managing Director.

What can a participant expect when embarking on their journey with Red Carnation Hotels?

A good induction and welcome to the company, a buddy to help support them in work and a mentor who is a senior manager within the company who will help and support them when it comes to their career.

Any advice to the youth of today considering embarking on their first career?

Make sure you do your research and make sure your values match those of the company you are applying to work for. Grab every opportunity that comes your way!

What career opportunities can Degree Apprentices’s come to expect afterwards?

Anything from a role in finance or marketing to a manager role in hotel operations.