
They are an invaluable part of the business. Not only do they make an essential contribution in their everyday work, they also improve the cohesion of the workforce, sharing their knowledge and know-how with the colleagues.I have placed apprenticeships at the heart of my future planning for the business, and am confident that we have one of the best training programmes in place to make sure our young people are armed with the skills and competencies to take their careers forward. And the icing on the cake for their training is the opportunity to work alongside, and learn from, older colleagues who have been there, seen it and done it. But having older workers is not just about helping develop the next generation. If their aspirations are nurtured then the contribution they make can be enhanced as can their own careers. Just take my PA Mario. He retired from the civil service, but wasn?t ready to be put out to pasture. Mario has an insatiable desire to work that I was delighted to harness. In the years he has been with the business he has grasped the opportunity to learn new things and try different ways of working. So if, as appears to be happening, one of the consequences of our doomed-to-failure exit from the European Union is that workers from the continent are shunning British job opportunities we have to think smart about how we plug the gap. Maximising on the asset that is the over-50s workforce is a pretty good option.
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