Marcus Collins

Fast food giant McDonald's names 1,000th apprentice

9th September 2010, 11:48am

Marcus Collins has only been at McDonald's for six months but he has already made his mark, having just become the company's 1,000th employee to be awarded an Apprenticeship in Hospitality.

Collins, 24, previously worked in the IT department of a Mayfair based law firm but was made redundant as a result of the economic downturn. After 11 months of unemployment Marcus applied to McDonald's in St Albans, attracted by the training and development prospects at the company.

Two months after starting at McDonald's, Collins was accepted onto the Apprenticeship scheme. He was impressed by the level of investment the company makes in the personal development of employees and by the opportunities on offer to expand his skill set and gain new qualifications.

Collins said: "After I was made redundant, McDonald's stood out because it was totally different from my office based job and it seemed that all employees had the chance to progress as far as they wanted to.

"I now recommend the Apprenticeship scheme to everyone. The training requires hard work and dedication, but I received a lot of support from my team and completing the programme has given me a great sense of achievement, as well as opportunities to develop further within the company or elsewhere."

Collins is now due to start a Level 3 Diploma in Shift Management at McDonald's. One day he hopes to become a McDonald's Franchisee, but for now he is enjoying the day-to-day aspects of his job and can see himself staying at the company for many years to come.

David Fairhurst, chief people officer, McDonald's UK & Northern Europe, added: "I'd like to congratulate Marcus – and all our apprentices – on their achievements. In a tough jobs market, it's wonderful to see the strong appetite among our employees to gain qualifications and progress in their careers. Marcus is just one of over 6,000 employees working towards an Apprenticeship at McDonald's and our programme is often the first step for young people looking to progress through the business."

Fairhurst added that McDonald's has a strong track record with 90% of restaurant management beginning their careers as crew members.

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