Employer Case Study - London Bridge Hotel
Gregory Bogdan, Human Resources Manager at London Bridge Hotel
Sam Coulstock FIH, Business Relations Director
Small business. Big results.
Running a small, busy and successful hotel in the heart of London is no mean feat. Yet through in the added complexities of Brexit and uncertainty around employment, and you’re faced with a much greater challenge; as was to be the case for four-star boutique business, London Bridge Hotel.To gain a competitive edge in the market place, attracting and retaining the right talent was critical.
As such, the hotel was looked to apprenticeships to provide a fresh, new and exciting opportunity which would inspire their people to be the best they can be.Having worked with a learning partner previously, they were committed to working with a provider who matched their ethos, culture and values. They asked their team for suggestions of potential training partners and here it was that Umbrella was introduced to the business; following the suggestion and positive feedback from one of their managers, a previous Umbrella apprentice.
It was vital that a solid relationship was developed between London Bridge Hotel and Umbrella Training from the beginning and therefore the businesses worked together so that the team could fully understand the business and its training needs. Following this, a bespoke delivery model was created collaboratively which met the needs of the business, would demonstrate an immediate impact through in-role implementation and would achieve a clear return on investment.
The starting point was hosting a number of open days and engagement sessions to help inspire colleagues. The days involved 121 meetings with people who were interested in the programme, held a micro teach on #LearnSomethingNew and answered questions. We explained the apprenticeships and discuss how the programme could help them become better leaders and managers. Following these days, 10 people expressed an interest in joining the apprenticeship programme of which seven were offered a place to start in the first cohort which began in March 2018 with a focused on-boarding session held with the Learning and Development Manager, Philip, and Zak, Umbrella’s On-Boarding Officer.
Gregory Bogdan, Human Resources Manager at London Bridge Hotel says “Umbrella Training has provided the team with a great opportunity to develop and enhance their existing skills whilst improving staff morale and loyalty – I look forward to working with the Supervisors and Managers that completed the programme”
Sam Coulstock FIH, Business Relations Director says “Working with such an enthusiastic employer like London Bridge Hotel really makes a difference when developing new relationships - we are looking forward to seeing the impact of the programme within the hotel and its colleagues”
