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.
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“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?
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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.
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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.
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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
Michael Carrick brands Lisandro Martinez’s red card as ‘one of the worst’ decisions he’s ever seen
Danny Jones
Michael Carrick has dubbed the red card shown to Lisando Martinez on Monday night “one of the worst I’ve seen”.
In case you missed it, Martinez’s sending off proved to be the decisive moment in Manchester United’s sour defeat to old rivals Leeds.
Despite pulling one back through another Bruno Fernandes assist and another Casemiro header from a set-piece, Man United went on to lose 2-1 in what was Leeds’ first win at Old Trafford since 1981.
A night to remember for the Whites and one that Reds, equally and ironically, won’t soon forget either, with the Argentinian being dismissed for what the referees deemed ‘violent conduct’. For those who haven’t seen it, here’s the incident in question:
While there is a noticeable grabbing of the hair, Carrick and many others are understandably questioning the perceived ‘force’ that influenced Paul Tierney’s final ruling.
Put simply, many have put it down to whether or not it’s a hair pull/grab and how much of a tug the opponent felt.
Yorkshire-born striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin said in an interview after the whistle: “I don’t make the rules. I told the referee that my hair was pulled.”
Clearly, Carrick is far from the only one who thinks it was a “shocking” call from the officials, either.
Several pundits argued that it was “harsh” to send off ‘Licha’, with even old foes like former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher stating live on Sky Sports’ MNF analysis of the game: “I think everybody in the game is looking at that and thinking, ‘Oh, come on. That is not a red card. Behave yourself!
As the current interim Man United boss – on whom it remains to be seen whether or not he will get the job full-time – he was left visibly frustrated in his own post-match pressers, highlighting that there were other moments in the game that the referees missed or simply overlooked.
The Stretford finally saw their interim head coach make his emotions plain to see.
Fans online have cited other recent examples, such as Man City’s Antoine Semenyo having his hair pulled against Fulham just a couple of months ago, which went unpunished, as well as David Brooks getting away with only a booking for something similar on Chelsea’s Marc Cucurella back in January.
The general consensus in the stands on the night at Old Trafford, on social media in the aftermath, and indeed throughout the Premier League, is that supporters simply want more consistency when it comes to stuff like this.
Rule books change and get more complicated all the time; that’s just football, but if that is the way it will continue going, arbitrators like the PGMOL (Professional Game Match Officials Limited) have to uphold their own standards.
Now slapped with a three-match ban, Martinez had only just returned to the fold but will now be missing once again. Another absentee whose presence was clearly missed on the night was midfielder Kobbie Mainoo, though United fans will at least be relieved to hear his injury is nothing serious.
And that’s not the only positive update regarding the homegrown young star, either…
Featured Images — Sky Sports (screenshots via YouTube)
UK News
Manchester United set to join Premier League transfer battle for Morgan Rogers
Danny Jones
Manchester United and several other Premier League teams are expected to join in a multi-club race for the signature of Morgan Rogers in the upcoming transfer window.
Over the last year or two, Morgan Rogers has become not just one of the Three Lions’ brightest prospects but arguably one of the best young players in Europe.
Now reportedly set to, at the very least, consider leaving Aston Villa – regardless of whether they qualify for the Champions League or not – a fair few clubs are set to pursue the fast-rising England international this summer.
As per Times Sport writers Gary Jacob and Paul Hirst, Rogers is now on the radar of Man United, Chelsea and Arsenal – and that’s just in the domestic top flight…
Clubs renew interest in Morgan Rogers as Villa face bidding war this summer
England midfielder is wanted by Arsenal, Manchester United and Chelsea, with Villa’s valuation likely exceeding £80million
With an estimated minimum valuation of £80 million being slapped on the 23-year-old, it’ll take quite a sizeable package for Villa to let the West Brom academy product go.
The West Midlands-born midfielder was signed following an impressive bunch of performances at Middlesbrough, where he already trained under a then-fledgling new manager, Michael Carrick, who he joined following a number of loan spells at the likes of Lincoln City, Bournemouth and Blackpool.
His previous employers prior to the Birmingham side were actually Manchester City, who signed Rogers as a youth back in 2019, but never gave him a full run-out in the senior squad.
Now a fully graduated first-team star, a regularly decisive player/match-winner and clearly in Thomas Tuchel’s national team plans for the World Cup, Man City are not currently thought to be interested in re-signing him as they did with the likes of James Trafford, for example.
Then again, he isn’t necessarily a position they’re looking to strengthen with so many attack-minded options in advanced areas, whereas it’s claimed United are hoping to solve a number of issues all over the pitch this summer.
It’s worth noting he scored two incredible finishes against the Red Devils earlier this season.
Both certified worldies.
Of course, there is always the possibility of City and other big sides coming in for him, not only because of his undeniable talent but in an effort to stop rivals acquiring his services.
In the case of Manchester United, how much budget the INEOS board will afford Carrick and co regarding recruitment remains to be seen, though there is the belief that Rogers more than fits the attributes and age profile of those that sporting director Jason Wilcox will be targeting.
One bit of defensive business MUFC have already managed to complete is sorting a fresh new deal for centre-back Harry Maguire, who recently signed a key contract extension.
Emily Sergeant -
24th June 2021 
