John Brookes shares how an apprenticeship helped his career progression at Anchor

John, who was born and raised in Walsall, started as a Catering Assistant Apprentice at our Harden Hall care home in 2018 and has thrived in his role, progressing to Chef Manager. 

Before starting my apprenticeship, I was considering going to college but I decided it wasn’t for me and that I wanted to gain hands-on experience so I started my apprenticeship with Anchor. 

I think this is the kind of environment that really shows you how many people care. For me, I want to give back by serving residents nutritious and balanced meals that they really enjoy.

How Anchor has supported my career progression

Anchor have supported me throughout my career journey because they have always offered me more opportunities and the door to further career progression is never closed.

Last year I was still going through something pretty tough that affected me a lot. Anchor offered a lot of support and never pressured me into starting new qualifications. Even though I wanted to progress further I wasn’t in the right frame of mind.

When I finally felt I was ready to tackle my level 5 there was no problem in getting my signed up and started.

So even though Anchor offer many career opportunities, they are there for colleagues at all times there is never any pressure to do anything that you don’t want to but its nice to know that these are offered if you want them.

The apprenticeship has enabled me to progress my career. I also won Anchor's Apprentice of the Year award and was named West Midlands Apprentice of the Year at the Regional National Apprenticeship Awards in 2020. 

I love that Anchor has plenty of opportunities not only for younger people to excel but colleagues of all ages. It’s great because there are many career paths open to take within the organisation and I’ve met so many amazing people who have helped me along the way. I can’t wait to see what the future holds.

Learn more about our learning and development opportunities. 

The most enjoyable aspect of being a Chef Manager is...

As a Chef Manager, I get to chat to residents and craft my menus around their preferences. I enjoy taking their feedback on board and serving meals that are varied and nutritious. 

The thing I enjoy most about my role is the satisfaction it gives me knowing myself and my team are providing nutritionally balanced meals to residents.

I also enjoy the fact that not every day is the same there is always something different going on within the home whether it's having consultations with residents about new menus allowing for residents’ involvement in their own menus allowing for their food choices to be put on new menus or planning theme days and parties for a change in their routine and ours too.

My plans for the future and advice to those considering an apprenticeship

The advice I would give to those considering an apprenticeship is to go for it! 

I would recommend an apprenticeship because of the hands-on experience you get. It’s great because you also get to meet a wide range of people across ages, cultures and life experiences that you can learn from.

You’ll be glad you did it, I know I am. I’m grateful every day for all the opportunities I have had. I couldn’t wish for a better company to work for!

In terms of my future plans, I want to continue learning and setting an example for my team - showing them that there is clear career progression and development opportunities within care.

I personally always like to better educate my knowledge and understanding in anything that I do. For me doing qualifications allows me to understand more in depth of what’s expected of me and allowing me to know that what I’m doing or saying is correct allowing me to be more confident in my role and day to day running of my kitchen and team.

John is a Chef Manager at Harden Hall

Visit our careers page to see our current recruitment opportunities or if you're interested in finding out more about our apprenticeships click here.