Meet our early years career advisor: Jon Kelley
I t’s Hospitality Apprenticeships Week and we’ve caught up with our Early Years Career Advisor, Jon Kelley, to find out a little about his career journey.
Jon champions our apprenticeship courses and is passionate about the career pathways they offer people from all walks of life. Starting out as a Kitchen Assistant in our pub estate, Jon knows the hospitality industry inside out and has first-hand experience in developing a career that transcends departments and job roles.
How long have you worked for St Austell Brewery?
21 years – that will be 22 years in January!
What does a typical day in your role look like?
My role is field based, so my days vary greatly – which is part of what keeps it fun! Some days I can be found at a careers events at a school or college somewhere in the South West. I can often be tracked down at the brewery, running assessment days to help one of our line managers find their next apprentice (could be an engineer, could be someone to join the IT team, maybe a cohort of brewer apprentices, or perhaps someone to join the People team). If I am not in either of these places, I will usually be at one of our amazing pubs, probably catching up with one of our chef apprentices, or interviewing a new front of house apprenticeship candidate.
What role did you start in and when? How did you come to work in the People team?
I actually began my hospitality career with St Austell as a Kitchen Assistant in 1995, working my way up to Team Leader before leaving the company for a couple of years in 1999 to explore fine dining as a chef.
I rejoined the company as an Assistant Manager in 2001. Over the next 12/13 years, I worked my way around the coast of Cornwall – living in amazing locations such as Fowey, Mousehole, Porthleven, and St Ives. I eventually took over at the Oystercatcher in Polzeath as General Manager in 2014.
After a couple of amazing summers in this beautiful part of North Cornwall, an opportunity arose to join the Learning team as a ‘People Development Trainer’ – basically travelling from pub to pub, sharing my knowledge to help others improve their skills. That was just about six years ago; since then, my focus has turned fully towards helping our people (existing or newly hired) begin their career journeys with us while gaining some excellent qualifications along the way.
What's the most rewarding thing about working in early career development?
H elping people along on their career journey is very rewarding. When someone I have helped along on their path earns themselves a promotion, it’s a really nice thing to be a small part of!
Describe being a St Austell apprentice in three words.
Rewarding. Career progression.
Do St Austell apprentices get any staff benefits?
All of our apprentices receive the same benefits as anyone else. We don’t believe the national apprentice wage rate of £4.80 is a fair wage and instead choose to pay significantly more. All of our hospitality apprentices receive a minimum of £9 per hour and are guaranteed a minimum of 30 hours a week, including any training time, throughout the duration of their course.
How old do people have to be to apply for an apprenticeship?
There aren’t any age restrictions around who can be an apprentice. Currently, we have apprentices on courses who are school leavers, we have some who are graduates, some of our apprentices were already employees of ours who are keen to learn and progress, and some are people who have joined us recently who want to change their career. You can begin an apprenticeship at any stage of life, you just have to be willing to learn and commit to attending all training sessions and stay on top of your work.
Are there linear career path if you join St Austell as an apprentice, or are there opportunities to gain experience in other areas of the business?
Some of our apprenticeships can certainly lead to progression in the same department. At the moment we have several chefs and front of house team members who are working their way towards being Head Chefs and General Managers. We are always keen to help our team out in the pubs and see other parts of the businesses. Anyone who has a background in hospitality will have an edge over other candidates if they decide to put themselves forward for one of our support or Beer and Brands apprenticeships.
Are St Austell apprentices guaranteed a permenant role after graduation?
We see apprenticeships as an investment in our future and we are always keen to retain people we have trained. Although we don’t guarantee a permanent role, we do make sure that every apprentice's situation is properly reviewed at the end of their course. We never take someone on with the intent to ‘use them while they are learning’ and then ‘move them on’ at the end of their apprenticeship term.
What are the biggest myths/misunderstandings about apprenticeships in your view?
The old myth that apprenticeships are second-rate and that the only people suited to them are those who aren’t academic and couldn’t go to university really bugs me!
A pprenticeships come in various levels, some are equal to GCSEs, and some equate to A-levels. You can even earn a bachelor’s degree or a master’s degree as an apprentice!
All kinds of different people choose to become apprentices, including those who want to study for a degree whilst working and earning, or those who wish to complete a master's in their specialist field. Apprentices gain valuable work experience on top of their qualification, often putting them ahead of other applicants who are just as well qualified but haven’t spent any time in the role.
Apprenticeships offer all of this, without tying participants into a lifelong debt.
How can people find out more about St Austell Family Group apprenticeship opportunities and apply?
Keep a close eye on our careers page here.