An apprenticeship scheme at Specsavers was named overall winner at the 2018 CIPD People Management Awards.
Its programme, praised for offering young people a viable alternative to university, won the best apprenticeship scheme prize as well as being named the overall winner.
Specsavers was also praised for its approach to encouraging and supporting diversity, while a dedicated buddy role ensured all apprentices had support and mentoring during the programme. Nine out of 10 apprentices remain employed at Specsavers after the programme ended.
Stuart Ingleby, ophthalmic director at Specsavers in Blackburn, said: ‘We’ve had apprentices for a number of years. You have to give them the time to do the studying; the more you put in, the more you get out. You get excellent results, and I can’t recommend it highly enough.’