Speaking to The Morning Advertiser (The MA), Greene King group people director Vickie Elsey said the business switched up its pub training programme earlier this year as part of a wider shift towards more flexible and practical learning.
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“Over the past 12 to 18 months at Greene King we have modernised how we train and develop team members across our pubs,” she continued.
“Earlier this year we moved all our pub training over to Attensi, a gamified learning platform, to make core training for our pub teams more engaging and practical.
“It now means training is more flexible and bite sized, so that our teams can learn at pace without disrupting service to our customers.”
Elsey added Greene King had also launched clearer career pathways to support internal progression from front line roles into supervisory and management positions.
“The result of these initiatives is a more consistent and engaging development experience for our team members, helping them to build real customer facing skills, grow their careers with us and importantly, stay with Greene King for longer,” she said.
Apprenticeships and internal progression also form a central part of Greene King’s people strategy, with the business having supported 19,000 apprentices to date.
Attraction and retention
The people director explained apprenticeships help build a more sustainable talent pipeline while addressing long standing challenges around attraction and retention.
She pointed to programmes such as Greene King’s Apprentice Chef Academy, which provides structured routes for team members to build practical skills, gain recognised qualifications and progress into future leadership roles.
“Apprenticeships form a central part of our people strategy, helping us build a sustainable talent pipeline while tackling long standing challenges around attraction and retention. They also widen access to hospitality careers for those who haven’t previously engaged with formal qualifications,” she continued.
Elsey added apprentices typically stayed longer with the business, helping Greene King build stronger succession pipelines and more experienced pub teams.
The pubco has also focused on internal mobility, with team members moving from pub roles into support centre, transformation, project, central operations, customer, people and finance functions.
“These pathways also help us retain great people and develop future talent with a deep understanding of our business, customers and culture,” Elsey said.
“Hospitality is a people business, so equipping managers with great leadership skills is central to how we support and develop our teams.”
Greene King group people director Vickie Elsey
Further investment has also been made into modernising inductions, personalised learning journeys and leadership development across both pub and support centre teams.
Elsey told The MA Greene King was focused on making learning more relevant, engaging and practical for pub teams, including through immersive, scenario led training to help employees build job ready skills.
The business has also concentrated on developing stronger leaders through coaching, feedback, resilience, inclusion, wellbeing and managing high performing teams.
“Hospitality is a people business, so equipping managers with great leadership skills is central to how we support and develop our teams,” Elsey said.
“Together, these initiatives are helping us create a more blended, continuous learning environment, where development isn’t a one off event, but an ongoing journey.”
She added Greene King viewed technology and AI as a key part of how it can better support its teams day to day, including through more engaging learning, timely guidance and simpler operations.
The group has also been testing AI and smart technology across a number of innovation pubs, as previously reported by The MA.
“Used well, these tools can help team members feel more confident in their roles, while also making everyday operations that bit easier. For us, it’s about combining innovation with practical support, so our teams have the tools they need to thrive,” Elsey added.
When it comes to recruitment, Greene King keeps its approach under regular review in a bid to balance external recruitment with developing existing teams.
More focus
This was something Elsey said was likely to become more prominent across the wider pub sector over the next 12 months, noting a greater emphasis on retention, internal progression and future talent pipelines rather than relying solely on external hiring.
Elsey added staff expectations had shifted compared with three or four years ago, with career progression needing to feel faster, clearer and more personalised.
“Traditional ‘wait your turn’ career paths are far less attractive, particularly for younger team members. They want to understand what’s next, how to get there, and what skills they need to build along the way,” she said.
For many colleagues, particularly Gen Z workers, learning itself has become part of the incentive, Elsey continued: “They want to leave a role more skilled than when they arrived, with transferable skills and visible growth opportunities.
“At the same time, wellbeing, flexibility, purpose and quality of leadership are playing a bigger role in what people are looking for from an employer.
“While financial reward still matters, feeling supported, valued and able to develop a career in an inclusive business that has a positive culture is becoming increasingly important when it comes to retention and engagement.”
