Running from 9 to 13 February, the initiative will see Samworth Brothers offering a further 24 new apprenticeship roles, bringing its total number of concurrent apprentices to 263.
For National Apprenticeship Week (NAW) 2026, the food manufacturing business will also be launching a new level 3 Line Manager apprenticeship following the success of its latest level 5 cohort, of which 18 out of 19 achieved distinctions, with another 31 currently live on this programme.
As part of NAW, Samworth Brothers will petition the Government and education providers to work towards a further education system that better supports businesses with relevant skills training and courses, with a focus needed on engineering, IT and digital.
“An apprenticeship provides a unique opportunity to earn, learn, and progress simultaneously”, says Adam, an operations higher level apprentice at the group’s Kettleby Foods site in Melton Mowbray.
“The apprenticeship has significantly accelerated my career progression by building both my technical management capability and professional confidence. Being able to work alongside experienced managers while gaining a recognised degree has made the learning highly practical and meaningful.”
Samworth Brothers Group has 39 apprentices currently on the FDEM Apprenticeships (Food & Drink Maintenance Engineer) and is committed to recruit and train 60 over a 5-year period to address the engineering talent shortage in the UK.
“With an apprenticeship you get the opportunity to put your learning into practice in a live environment and try things out, evaluate and ask questions and talk it over with your mentor, coach and tutor”, added Zoie Parsons, who has just completed a Level 3 Learning and Development Practitioner Apprenticeship.
“As a bonus you are still working and getting paid while developing and gaining a qualification!”
The firm is also using NAW to raise concerns about changes to the apprenticeship landscape, citing how the decision to limit funding for Level 7 (advanced) apprenticeships has impacted its ability to offer career entry opportunities in finance.
