MITIE's real apprentices earn real jobs : Training links the company's needs with those of the community

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to describe the award‐winning real‐apprentice scheme, run by support‐services company MITIE, which has successfully linked the company's need for skilled mail and reprographic operators with the needs of young people in a deprived area of east London to gain meaningful work. Design/methodology/approach – Details how the ten‐week in‐depth training program gives learners the technical skills to be basic reprographics operators and the soft skills to work with some of the capital's most prestigious businesses. Findings – Explains that nine of the ten apprentices taking part completed the course and ended up with full‐time jobs – seven with MITIE, one with another local reprographic company and one with the Canary Wharf Group. Practical implications – Reveals that MITIE, which had previously struggled to recruit and retain basic reprographic operators through public‐sector job brokerages, surpassed its target of securing sustainable reprographic staff through a cost‐effective route. Originality/value – Describes how the scheme helped ten young people, who left school with limited skills and lack of self‐belief, to make something of their lives. The success of the scheme was its ability to link the company's needs with those of the community.