Award-winning luxury bedmaker Hypnos, is marking National Apprenticeship Week by celebrating eight years of apprentices within the business and inviting more to join its successful apprenticeship initiative.

The company, which launched its scheme in 2011, has gone from strength to strength, pledging to fill 40 per cent of its projected 150 jobs through apprenticeships by 2022. With 16 apprentices having joined Hypnos since 2011, and two new apprentices having already joined the company in 2019, Hypnos is actively working with local schools and colleges, calling on all those interested in on-the-job training and the opportunity to move into further education, to get in touch.

Hypnos manufactures mattresses and beds for a global marketplace, selling to over 30 countries, with a clear strategy for growth across international retail and hospitality markets. This continued growth is generating exciting opportunities to recruit more apprentices in order to help drive and support this ongoing expansion.

Stephen Ward, group managing director at Hypnos, comments:

“National Apprenticeship Week is the perfect opportunity for us to highlight the value of apprenticeships. At Hypnos, we are committed to supporting the manufacturing industry by providing young, talented people with Apprenticeships and jobs that will help them to prepare for specialist roles, from production to world-class support functions, like marketing, IT and finance. A role such as this offers an incredibly diverse and exciting way for people to learn new skills and gain long-term employment, so we’d encourage anyone interested in enrolling and joining our team, to get in touch with us.

“As a family-run business, we pride ourselves on being a company that really champions and nurtures our employees. We have some great success stories of people who joined us as apprentices at 16 and now, only a few years later, are in managerial or senior positions within the business. This is a result of the commitment and investment we make in up-skilling our work force so that they can develop a rewarding career and we can continue to deliver a superior experience for our customers.”

Former apprentice, Alex Raven, has first-hand experience of this approach. Having joined as a 16 year-old school leaver in 2013, he worked his way through a level 2 manufacturing apprenticeship and a level 3 team leadership apprenticeship, which resulted in him recently being promoted to Value Stream Manager at Hypnos, responsible for divan production and the management of 55 employees.

Alex, comments:

“Joining the Hypnos apprenticeship programme has been a challenging but massively rewarding journey for me. I have learnt so much in a short space of time and it goes to show the true value of on-the-job training. Working in different parts of the business has given me a platform to specialise in my area of interest and the support I have been given has been second to none.

“I particularly loved getting to do a mix of training and work experience, which meant that each day was different and each day was rewarding in its own unique way. If you’re after a role that brings plenty of variety, then I’d recommend the scheme wholeheartedly.”

Open to people aged from 16 upwards, Hypnos’ Apprenticeship Scheme combines on-the-job training, mentoring and coaching with further education. Crucially, there is a clear pathway for apprentices to progress into full-time employees, and seven people have already made the transition in the last 12 months alone at Hypnos.

National Apprenticeship Week, which takes place between 4th and 8th March, is an annual celebration of the impact of apprenticeships on individuals, employers and the economy.

Young people interested in finding out more about the Hypnos apprenticeship scheme, can get further information here.