“Completing the apprenticeship gave me a great sense of achievement”

Marcus Collins hasn’t been at McDonald’s long but has already made his mark by becoming the company’s 1,000th apprentice. Marcus, 24, previously worked as a facilities and IT manager for a solicitor’s firm in London but was made redundant as a result of the economic downturn. After 11 months of unemployment Marcus applied to McDonald’s in St Albans, attracted by the training the company offered: ‘No-one had a bad word to say about working at McDonald’s,’ he says. ‘It seemed that people of any ability had the chance to progress as far as they wanted to. The company really stood out in the recession.’ Two months after starting, Marcus was accepted onto the apprenticeship scheme. He was impressed by the opportunity to broaden his qualifications and gain a whole new skill set, and welcomes the investment the company makes in the personal development of employees. ‘I recommend the scheme to everyone. It opened my eyes to different areas of the company and I was surprised by how much I didn’t know about McDonald’s. The training requires hard work and dedication, but I received a lot of support from my team. Completing the apprenticeship gave me a great sense of achievement.’

Marcus is now due to start McDonald’s Management Development

Programme and is hoping to progress to area manager and then shift manager. Ultimately, he hopes to become an area supervisor and potentially, one day, a franchisee, but, for now, he is enjoying the day- to-day aspects of his job: ‘I love working in an ever-changing, fast-paced environment. So many different people work here but there’s a great sense of teamwork. I’ve had a hugely positive experience at McDonald’s and can see myself here for many years to come.’

“You get so much from it. Work and what you’re studying at home go hand in hand”

Janette Moran joined McDonald’s as a part-time crew member in 1997 to help fund her college studies. Within six months she was promoted to shift manager and has followed the career path to restaurant manager, a role she has held for the last seven years. An avid learner, 30-year-old Janette jumped at the chance to enrol on the foundation degree pilot scheme. Working at McDonald’s gave her the flexibility to gain a degree from the University of Manchester, as well as train to be a legal executive. ‘I tried working as a legal executive, but I didn’t enjoy it as much as working at McDonald’s,’ she says. ‘Once I became an assistant manager I realised it was the right career path for me.’

Janette was offered a chance to be in the first group of restaurant managers to achieve a foundation degree in Managing Business Operations last year. ‘When my franchisee mentioned the foundation degree programme I was the first to put myself forward. I would get behind any education scheme, and with it being a pilot I wanted it to succeed and to be involved.’ She completed the course in July 2010. ‘You get so much from it. What you’re doing in the restaurant and what you’re studying at home go hand in hand. When you are on the restaurant floor, you’re putting the learning to use, especially the leadership skills. That’s the area where I got the most value from the scheme.’

Janette believes it’s important for McDonald’s to offer learning opportunities to its people. ‘The knowledge and the pride of the staff makes them realise the importance of the job and gives them confidence to say they work at McDonald’s. If people don’t understand the level that you work at, it’s nice to be able to say, I’m a restaurant manager – that’s foundation degree level.’

JANUARY 2011 ADULTS LEARNING 15