Royal Mail has announced it is to offer out 1,000 apprenticeships for those keen to become posties across the UK.
As part of the service’s new Postal Apprenticeship Scheme – which is designed to provide participants not only with the required skills for a successful career within Royal Mail, but with a broad range of lasting transferable skills and experience – successful candidates will achieve a Level 2 certification.
While Royal Mail has been running an apprenticeship schemes in other sectors of the service for a good few years now, this new initiative is one of the largest single apprenticeship programmes in the UK.
It comes after the former Postal Cadet Scheme ceased in 1996 – which started the careers of many senior Royal Mail employees.
Speaking on the launch of the new scheme, Ricky McAulay – Operations Development Director at Royal Mail – said: “We couldn’t be prouder to launch our Postal Apprenticeship Scheme at a time when the pandemic continues to take a heavy toll on career opportunities across the country.
ADVERTISEMENT
“We’ve placed a real emphasis on ensuring that our scheme has a range of transferable skills so that successful candidates can take what they learn with them for the rest of their careers.”
Keen to find out a little more about the job and what successful applicants will be getting up to?
ADVERTISEMENT
Here’s everything you need to know.
We’re recruiting one of the largest intakes of apprentices in the UK, with applicants successfully completing the Postal Apprenticeship offered a job.
Areas such as customer services, industry knowledge, and lessons in financial budgeting, and health and wellbeing will all be covered in the new Postal Apprenticeship Scheme.
The role will consist of day-to-day duties as a delivery postie, with additional time spent completing learning towards the apprenticeship. 80% of the apprenticeship will take the form of on-the-job training, with the remaining 20% being online learning towards their Level 2 apprenticeship certification.
ADVERTISEMENT
What is the application process like?
As part of the application process, those who are shortlisted will have to complete a ‘Situational Judgement Test’, a virtual interview, and will be invited to meet their line manager at the unit where they’ll work.
Applicants who successfully complete the scheme will be offered a permanent role at Royal Mail.
The scheme teaches the required skills for a successful career within Royal Mail / Credit: Royal Mail
What support will I receive?
Apprentices will receive extensive training, local support from their line manager, a designated workplace coach, and a mentor to support their career progression.
Are applications open?
Applications for the Postal Apprenticeship Scheme open on Monday 28 June, and the recruitment programme will run from September 2021, with the initial cohort of 500 apprentices starting then.
Up to a further 500 roles will then be allocated across the business from in the new year.
ADVERTISEMENT
In total, Royal Mail is expecting the recruitment process to take up to 13 months, and you can submit your application via the Early Careers section on the Royal Mail website here.
Featured Image – Royal Mail
UK News
King Charles III’s annual income to increase by more than 50% as crown estate revenue rises
Danny Jones
King Charles III’s annual income is reportedly set to increase by more than 50% after the total revenue of the official crown estate rose significantly over the last 12 months.
Posting record-breaking profits since King Charles was coronated back in May, raking in a total of £1.1 billion for the 2023/24 financial year, the crown’s budget is now being adjusted, with a review set for 2026/27.
As per the official royal accounts published this week, the sovereign grant which helps fund members of the royal family and their civic duties is set to rise from £86m this year to £132m in 2025/26, meaning the King is set for a whopping £45m (approx. 53%) pay rise.
The royals currently receive 12% of the crown estate’s overall profits and as the majority of Britain continues to struggle with a cost of living crisis, it’s also the details surrounding last year’s outgoings and overall expenditure that have proved tough reading for many.
It makes no sense that profits from renewable energy projects are funnelled out of poor coastal communities to fund the refurbishment of Buckingham Palace.
Wealth from our natural resources should be invested in our people and communities. https://t.co/D4ZzzFiffk
In addition to roughly £600,000 of the sovereign grant being spent on the King’s coronation and other related events last year, the monarchy’s accounts also revised the £369m set aside for renovations in and around Buckingham Palace, let alone other royal residences.
According to The Guardian, “Royal accounts also show that the Prince of Wales received £23.6m income from the Duchy of Cornwall in his first full year after inheriting the land and property-owning estate from his father.”
Frogmore Cottage, located on the Windsor estate, saw a £2.4m refurbishment on behalf of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex as well but has remained empty for more than a year – though the costs have reportedly since been returned to the public purse.
Perhaps one of the toughest/most frivolous to swallow for the taxpayer, though, is the revelation regarding the two new helicopters. Set to replace the existing aircraft used by the royals for the last 15 years, the two new AgustaWestland AW139s are said to cost £8m a pop.
Making 170 journeys last year and costing a total of £1,096,300, the monarchy’s travel bill rose from £3.9m to £4.2m all-told, with the official royal train remaining the most expensive per mile.
Elsewhere, in the King’s Speech (written for him) following Labour’s landslide updating of the Conservative Party after 14 years, Charles said: “Stability will be the cornerstone of my Government’s economic policy and every decision will be consistent with its fiscal rules…
“Securing economic growth will be a fundamental mission. My Government will seek a new partnership with both business and working people and help the country move on from the recent cost of living challenges by prioritising wealth creation for all communities.”
While the crown and government have reiterated the aim of “rising living standards”, many Brits will understandably struggle to take these words as sincerely as others, with urgent action needed to support some of the poorest regions across the nation.
Ex-Salford rugby player and Andy’s Man Club co-founder receives special honour from University of Bradford
Danny Jones
Ex-Salford rugby player, motivational speaker and health coach Luke Ambler has been given a special honour for his work with the men’s mental health organisation, Andy’s Man Club.
The former rugby league athlete and Ireland international – whose career started out at Salford City Reds before moving on to Leeds Rhinos, York, Harlequins and Halifax – set up Andy’s Man Club in 2016 after the loss of his brother to suicide, with the vital support group and charity growing massively since then.
Now hosting more than 4,500 men at over 190 different regional support groups across the country every week, including several here in Greater Manchester – one over at Etihad being the most recent – the non-profit has become a vital resource for men in the UK and only keeps spreading further.
To share this day with my beautiful family, mother in law and Sabrina our General Manager and all those who were graduating was a pleasure and a day I’ll remember for years to come.
As reported by The Hoot, Ambler received an outstanding contribution award from Bradford Uni on Tuesday, 16 July, being presented with the accolade during their ongoing summer graduation.
In typically humble fashion, he dedicated the honour to everyone but himself: “To all my team; my parents, my kids, my family, friends, staff and volunteers thank you – none of us do it alone.
“Thank you also to all of you who have supported us and continue to do so thank you.”
Speaking to the BBC, he went on to add: “It’s amazing to look back on how far it has come… I don’t want to put a limit on it – we really want to help more men and find out why people get into such dark places.”
Male mental health continues to be a hugely overlooked and pressing issue and the impact of organisations like Luke’s cannot be overstated, having not only provided an all-important outlet but also raised huge funds and awareness for the cause.
Meeting every Monday at 7pm, Andy’s Man Club is all about creating a safe space for men to open up about the storms affecting their lives in a safe, judgement-free and non-clinical environment. You can find your nearest location HERE.
Well done from all of us at The Manc Group, Luke. You can watch the presentation and his acceptance speech in full down below.
#ITSOKAYTOTALK
What a lovely way to honour the Andy’s Man Club co-creator.