Local Salford McDonald's employee wins national apprentice award

Local McDonald’s Recruitment Manager, William Blacker, who works across 19 restaurants over two districts of Cheshire and Greater Manchester, has been honoured at the inaugural McDonald’s Apprenticeship Awards.

The awards celebrate the incredible achievements of stand-out apprentices and mentors launching as McDonald’s marks 50 years in the UK and hits the key milestone of supporting more than 21,000 learners since 2006.

McDonald’s has been offering award-winning apprenticeships for more than 18 years and continues to invest, with more than 20 different programmes available for employees across the country. The brand incorporated apprenticeships into its sustainability commitments and currently supports over 1,000 of their people.

William is an apprentice mentor and was honoured at the McDonald’s Apprenticeship Awards for his exceptional dedication to recruitment and development of wider apprentices across Edge Restaurants.

William won Mentor of the Year category, which honours exceptional apprentice mentors who relentlessly support learners, training providers and the wider business. Celebrating those who advocate apprenticeships tirelessly, share best practise and go the extra mile for others, this category showcases the impressive mentor support available to apprentices as part of their career with McDonald's.

William’s proactive approach includes organising recruitment events, work experience opportunities and community outreach. He’s successfully guided numerous learners to complete their programmes with distinctions, demonstrating a remarkable success rate. In addition, William has shown exceptional commitment by accommodating the needs of his learner through flexible scheduling and tailored support sessions. He’s a huge advocate of apprenticeships in the business and helps others to reach their potential.

William Blacker, Recruitment Manager an award winner from McDonald’s, said: “I really enjoy my role as apprenticeship mentor, coaching and guiding our employees and helping them gain nationally recognised qualifications. The apprenticeship is great for building confidence in our employees, allowing them to progress and reach professional goals within the hospitality industry. I also enjoy visiting schools and job centres as part of the role providing people from different walks of life with the opportunity to excel. I’m delighted to be Recruitment Manager at Edge Restaurants looking after the recruitment strategy for 19 restaurants and I look forward to doing it for many years to come”

Local Franchisee Mark Nuttall, who owns and operates 19 McDonald’s restaurants in Cheshire and Greater Manchester, said: “It is vital that all my employees feel able to pursue their ambitions, and we’re delighted to have been able to offer the flexibility William has needed to develop all the apprentices in the business. We have had so many success stories, and this is a reflection on William going above and beyond supporting others. The team and I are hugely proud of William, and I hope to see more of our people take advantage of the learning and development programmes McDonald’s has to offer."

Available in restaurants in local communities across the country, apprenticeships combine workplace training with studying, and 2023 saw more than 1,000 McDonald’s employees undertake these nationally recognised qualifications across the year. It’s a great option for those looking to earn while they learn, and with a dedicated mentor assigned at the beginning of their journey, apprentices are fully supported throughout the programme.

Find out more about McDonald's apprenticeship programme and the opportunities available here.