George Fortt, 23, is an Area People Lead at McDonalds. We spoke to him about his career journey so far and what he plans to do in the future on his apprenticeship.

What has your journey looked like so far?

I attended 1 year of Sixth Form studying PE but I decided I would enjoy the course more at College so I moved settings. During this time I got a part time job at McDonalds in the evenings, as I was finishing College I was offered a Shift Manager role but at that moment I wasn’t interested. I started to apply for coaching apprenticeships but those interviews didn’t well.

I went back to my manager to ask if the opportunity was still available so I became a crew trainer then a shift manager, I did this for 3 years. Most recently the Area People Lead role was introduced and I applied and was successful.

What does this new role look like and what are your plans going forward?

This role means I look after 4 different stores (Chippenham, Melksham, Trowbridge and Frome) it involves supporting other stores, carrying out aspects of HR support and Recruitment. Usually on a Monday I have a ‘map day’ so I am putting together reports of each store; tracking performance and probation reviews – who’s are due and when? Refresh job adverts and ensuring they are live and easy to find for people to apply. I also carry out welcome meetings and assist with training new crew members. I enjoy meeting and working with new people, I also like attending the careers fairs at Schools and the local Job Centres to show McDonalds in a positive light and show there is great career progression. I didn’t know when I was a shift manager that I could undertake an apprenticeship, but I will be starting my Level 3 Recruitment apprenticeship in early 2022.

We will track George’s apprenticeship in another 6 months to find out how he is getting on and what lessons he has learned about apprenticeships.