Dozens of apprenticeships available at one of Melton's biggest employers
One of the Melton Mowbray area’s biggest employers has announced it is taking on dozens of new apprentices across a number of disciplines.
Samworth Brothers, a leading food production company which is headquartered on the edge of the town, has enrolled 550 apprentices in just the last five years and it is taking on a further 24 this week to mark National Apprenticeship Week (NAW).
The business currently has 239 apprentices working in a variety of fields ranging from engineering and supply chain to finance and operations management.
Food manufacturing is a dynamic industry with great development potential and offers a range of diverse, interesting jobs.
Clare Moore, chief people officer at Samworth Brothers Group said: “Investing in skills is critical to enable us to continue producing innovative high-quality food safely and efficiently.
"We provide opportunities for good people to develop their talents, help them to improve their prospects and achieve their full potential.
"Apprenticeships are an extremely effective method of employee development.
"We are extremely proud of their commitment and effort – combining their learning with on-the-job skills development.
"In 2025, 77 of the 110 colleagues who completed an apprenticeship, received a distinction, which is phenomenal.”
For NAW 2026, Samworth Brothers is also launching a new level 3 Line Manager apprenticeship following the success of its latest level 5 cohort - 18 out of 19 of which achieved distinctions with another 31 currently live on this programme.
The company has 39 apprentices currently on the FDEM Apprenticeships (Food & Drink Maintenance Engineer) and is committed to recruit and train 60 over a five-year period to address the engineering talent shortage in the UK.
The business is keen to keep using degree level apprenticeships and management standards as the basis of its early careers programmes.
Apprenticeships are an effective means to upskill and reskill mid-career individuals and this creates overall career opportunities, and skilling up for changing technologies.
Samworth Brothers apprentices have won prestigious awards recently – Julia Karbownik, Gedrick Moyo and Daniel Boonham.
Adam Riches, who is an Operations Higher Level Apprentice with the company’s Kettleby Foods site in Melton Mowbray, spends 80 per cent of his working week on the job and the remaining time learning about the role.
He commented: “The apprenticeship has significantly accelerated my career progression by building both my technical management capability and professional confidence," said Adam.
“Being able to work alongside experienced managers while gaining a recognised degree has made the learning highly practical and meaningful.”
Zoie Parsons, a Learning and Development Advisor at the Samworth Brothers site in Melton, has just completed a Level 3 Learning and Development Practitioner Apprenticeship.
She said: “With an apprenticeship you get the opportunity to put your learning into practice in a live environment and try things out, evaluate and ask questions and talk it over with your mentor,
“As a bonus you are still working and getting paid while developing and gaining a qualification.”
Go to www.careers.samworthbrothers.co.uk if you are keen to develop your potential through an apprenticeship with Samworth Brothers.