Manchester based Linco Care, a family-run business which boasts high-street brands including Calypso sun care and Re-Gen body oil, has been offering many of its apprentices permanent positions in the company upon completion of their apprenticeships.
Linco Care has been supporting the apprenticeship scheme since 2011, employing apprentices in their graphic design, exports and marketing departments.
Data from the National Apprenticeship Service shows that 81% of consumers said that they favour using a company which supports apprenticeship schemes. 57% of companies report a high proportion of their apprentices going on to management positions within the company, while 92% of employers who employ apprentices believe that doing so leads to a more motivated and satisfied workforce.
This certainly rings true for Linco Care, which saw a record-breaking year with a recorded turnover of £8.7m in 2016 and which is now registering products and intellectual property in Indonesia, India and China, adding to their export list of over 60 countries worldwide. This rise in turnover comes on the heels of a £500,000 expansion, including a new 2,500m² warehouse, a factory refit, refurbishment of its head office and production facilities and increasing its staff to over 60 people – including 4 apprentices who have been hired as full-time staff.
According to Phil Hitchcox, Director of Commercial and Business Development, at First4Skills, a national apprenticeship and traineeship specialist, 90% of apprentices stay in work after finishing their apprenticeship – seven out of ten of them remain with the same employer. Research by Populus shows that 80% of employers questioned feel that apprenticeships reduce staff turnover, which suggests that apprentices feel loyal to the company which first trained them.
Jae Sealy-Aikens, a distribution apprentice at Linco Care, said: “The staff at Linco Care are dedicated to training apprentices and I really feel like part of the team. It’s such a great opportunity to learn new skills and gain a qualification along the way.”
“With Linco Care’s head office, warehouse and factory all in one place, it’s also a great way to understand the end-to-end functioning of a business.”
Mr Seena Seka, Senior Chemist for Linco Care, said “The apprentices employed by Linco Care over the years have been great success stories. Many of our former apprentices now work for Linco Care full time and are assets to the company.”
2017 finds Linco Care adding new products to its existing Calypso suncare and Re-Gen skincare ranges, as well as launching Restora, a new brand offering salon quality at home haircare products.
