17 September 2009

TC claims top marks for its Apprentice programme

Thomas Cook UK & Ireland claims it has achieved the highest rating for a large national travel retailer in the first inspection of its Government-funded Apprentice programme across its retail and sales centre businesses.

It achieved a Grade 2 Ã¢â¬ËœGoodÃ¢â¬â¢ status following an inspection, carried out by Ofsted, which included visits to 23 stores around the country and its Peterborough sales centre.

Pete Constanti, CEO for Mainstream Travel, said: Ã¢â¬ÅâœWe are delighted that the support that our Apprentices receive has been recognised in this way and that we are the first national travel retailer to receive such a high level of award.

Ã¢â¬ÅâœMuch of our programme has been identified as Ã¢â¬Ëœbest practiceÃ¢â¬â¢ and this remarkable achievement reflects what we already know Ã¢â¬' that our people continue to be our key differentiator and the reason for our on-going success.Ã¢â¬~

Aimed at school leavers, the Thomas Cook Apprentice programme offers the opportunity to achieve NVQ Levels 2 & 3 over 18 months, whilst gaining work experience.

Some 160 young people across the UK have joined the programme this month.

Recruitment for 2010 starts next March for school leavers with a passion for travel and GCSEs in Maths and English.

By Bev Fearis