Mark and Julie Holland are master franchise owners of German fitness brand, Bodystreet. They opened their first franchise in 2016 and have 12 franchisees.
Apprenticeship recruitment
Since 2018 Mark and Julie have been turning to apprentices to fill various roles across their business from marketing and sales to personal trainers; they also recruit apprentices to work for their franchisees too.
Exceptional retention rates
Surprisingly, the couple discovered that apprentices stay in their jobs far longer than the average employee.
In the fitness industry, the average length of time a personal trainer stays at a gym is approximately six months. Mike and Julie have apprentices who are still with them five years after they joined, leading to them being voted the ‘4th best SME Employer’ in England by the DOE (Department of Education) in 2023 based on the completion rates, inclusion and ratio of apprentices as a percentage of their total workforce.
Why apprentices?
Mark explains: “Bodystreet is a German franchise brand; during our training we discovered that the German education system combines university study with business experience: giving them practical skills through a ‘blended learning’ approach. They mix education with real life work experience and practical training, that in turn, leads to long-term employment.’
UK alternative to Blended Learning
“As parents and employers, we wanted to replicate this, and the Government’s apprenticeship scheme seemed the best way to achieve it. Having apprentices has been fantastic for us both as an employer and a franchisor, allowing us to scale up our business quickly, with people who totally get our vision and values, whilst also giving great support to our franchisees.”
Mark and Julie also have experience of the apprenticeship scheme from a personal point of view. Mark said: “Julie and I have three children, two of whom did apprenticeships. One is now a highly successful technical recruiter in the gaming industry and the other is a compliance inspector in the utilities industry; so, we know that apprenticeships work.”
Apprenticeships – essential facts
Taking on an apprentice in the UK is a straightforward process that starts with choosing the right apprenticeship standard and securing funding. You can find and recruit apprentices through the government’s ‘Find an Apprenticeship’ service. As an employer, you’ll need to provide a genuine job opportunity and a supportive learning environment and partner with a registered training provider to handle the off-the-job training. Apprentices, who must be over 16 and not in full-time education, will work alongside your team, gaining valuable skills and qualifications. The journey wraps up with an independent end-point assessment to make sure they’re ready for the industry.
The courses can take from one to three years and apprentices are paid on an age-related scale. Funding is available to help offset some of the training fees.
Apprentice qualifications
Julie says: “When we take on a PT apprentice, we help them to achieve their level two qualification, in personal training and customer service, giving them both business and fitness skills. Then they might to go on and complete level three; some even go on to do an equivalent to a degree, which would include marketing and business coaching.”
Mark says: “One of the most important aspects of hiring apprentices is that we can mould them to our values, mission and vision. It’s not about getting cheap labour through the door, and you can’t be overly focussed on if they will stay with you in the long run; it is about helping young people to discover their ‘why’ in life and achieve their goals. If you end up with a loyal member of staff, then that’s a bonus. We couldn’t recommend it highly enough and would encourage any franchisor to take on an apprentice in the future.”
Apprenticeship Case Study – Isobel Campbell
Isobel left school in 2019 and headed for university. Once there she realised it wasn’t the right place for her, returned home and began to work part time. In January 2022 she started an apprenticeship with Danbro Business Solutions, an accountancy firm used by many franchise brands.
With Danbro’s support she completed her Level Two apprenticeship accreditation.
Explaining how it works on a practical level Isobel says: “The college set my work, then Danbro helped me co-ordinate how I completed it. In the office my manager would set me up on a task, then I’d have to write an essay about it afterwards, so the two things worked really well together.’
She comments “It’s been fantastic doing my apprenticeship at Danbro; I’ve learned so much and not just the contents of the course, but so much more. The initial task of having to document the work I had been set was so useful, but also learning to speak to people and manage projects on my own.”
When Isobel successfully completed her apprenticeship, she was given a promotion to marketing executive and a pay rise and is now a much-valued member of the team.
Sam Wright, marketing manager at Danbro said: “I can’t speak highly enough of Izzy. She joined us a few years ago as a marketing apprentice and, in that time, far exceeded my expectations for what an apprentice could and should achieve – including winning her college’s ‘Apprentice of the Year’ award.’
“Following her graduation, Izzy has gone from strength to strength. She has responsibility for the company’s attendance at national events, as well as our social media presence, which has improved markedly since she took the reins. She regularly films, edits and produces slick, professional, high quality video and digital content, including the launch of a brand-new company podcast, interviewing successful entrepreneurs; she has even presented some of the episodes herself!’
“I always trust Izzy to lead the team in my absence; she also accompanies me to interviews for new employees, providing valuable insight, as well as astute feedback post-interview. I value her support massively.’
“She’s a credit to the team. Her personality is her biggest strength, and her attitude, creativity and application are fundamental to what we’ve been able to achieve as a team. I can’t wait to see what she goes on to achieve in her career.’
Mark, Julie and Isobel recently took part in a webinar for the BFA that members can access via the watch again page on the website www.thebfa.org.
