Morrisons trains the butchers and bakers of tomorrow : Company provides employees with the skills they need to progress

Purpose – This article seeks to describe apprenticeship training for butchers and bakers at UK supermarket Morrisons, and a skill‐improvement program for 500 recruits at the supermarket's Woodhead Brothers meat‐processing subsidiary, both of which were winners in the latest National Training Awards. Design/methodology/approach – The article details the reasons for the programs, the form they took and the results they have achieved. Findings – The article explains that the Morrisons apprenticeship program aims to ensure that there are craft‐skilled employees in every store at a time when the company's strategy is to become truly national, while the training at Woodhead Brothers aimed at providing around 500 new employees with the skills they need to operate effectively in a meat‐processing plant. Practical implications – The article stresses the practical approach taken in the two programs, highlighting the Morrisons claim to train more butchers and bakers than any other UK retailer. It highlights the Morrisons tradition of providing its employees with the skills they need to progress in the company. Originality/value – A variety of training programs tailored to the needs of people from different backgrounds is described in the article.