RS Components has been recognised for exceeding its target percentage of workforce in ‘earn and learn’ positions – achieving Gold membership of the 5% Club in its 2021 Employer Audit Scheme by hitting 11% of its workforce in formal skills development.
The 5% Club is a dynamic movement of employers, all of whom are inspired to take positive action for increased, inclusive, and accessible workplace training for all – and represents 1.2 million employees, 67,000 of whom are in ‘earn and learn’ schemes. The Employer Audit is a unique scheme which validates the employer’s activities, explores their future plans and commitments, as well as examining their approaches to quality, social mobility, diversity and inclusion.
Participants can be on apprenticeships, graduate schemes or sponsored student course placements, which are available up to Master’s degree level. RS offers these across leadership and management, digital skills and customer focused qualifications.
RS Apprenticeship Programme Manager, Tim Beasley, said:
“We are delighted to have received Gold membership of the 5% Club in recognition of our commitment. There are 334 of our employees in ‘earn and learn’ positions. For an organisation of our size, with 3,028 employees, this places us high in the rankings against other, much larger 5% Club members, so we’re very proud of this achievement.
“Furthermore, almost half (49%) of employees in the scheme are female, highlighting our diversity commitment. It is testament to our mission of supporting management at all levels with relevant skills, future-proofing talent and job roles, and developing the skills and behaviour that benefit our customers.”
Jodie Fogell started at RS two years ago as an inventory apprentice and is currently part of the Level 6 Supply Chain Management scheme, a four-year course culminating in a Bachelor’s Degree. She is in her third year of university.
She said:
“The great thing about my apprenticeship scheme in RS is that I actually get to use 20% of my working week to do university work and keep my portfolio up to date. My qualification will support my career aspirations and provide a rounded knowledge of the whole of the supply chain in theory, as well as getting hands-on work experience. It’s great to be able to understand how your role can impact other parts of the business. In my apprenticeship I’m able to learn a new role every year within Inventory. The ‘earn and learn’ scheme that RS offers truly supports my development and allows me to stay in education while working, and once I’ve finished my Level 6 degree, there is an option to go onto doing a Master’s in my course which I’m really hoping to do.”
For more information on RS, visit the website at uk.rs-online.com/web