A new apprentice at a Scottish employee-owned business is set to own as much stake in the company as the co-founder.
Rob Henderson, 19, is the latest recruit to the Jerba Campervans team after applying for an apprenticeship earlier this year.
The former Edinburgh College student studied a HNC in Electrical Engineering before looking for a place of work to hone his skills, and the East Linton teenager was drawn to the VW conversion specialists after learning about their work ethos and employee benefits.
READ MORE: Employee-owned campervan firm Jerba in North Berwick raises staff bonus after driving up profits
Mr Henderson said: “Jerba caught my eye because it was a local business, and seemed to provide the platform for apprentices’ to develop different skills.
“I found the role on Twitter, and handed my CV in person, I felt that way I was able to create a good rapport from the off.
“The team have got me involved from the get go, and I have been shown the differing aspects of the business, which has given me the opportunity to understand everyone’s roles at Jerba, and enabled me to become more multi-skilled than I would’ve been otherwise, which is a highly employable trait.”
One of the aspects that attracted him to the apprenticeship was the T6.1 VW converters employee ownership model. Since going 100 per cent employee-owned in 2018, North Berwick-based Jerba has increased its productivity year-on-year, and Mr Henderson believes the company’s employee-owned status has a direct result on the quality of work.
Simon Poole, co-founder of Jerba Campervans, said: “It is very important that we continue to offer young people the opportunity to learn and develop new skills. It is an ethos that we have followed for many years, and will continue to do for many years to come. Rob has settled in brilliantly at Jerba and will no doubt prove to be a valuable team member for us in what we anticipate will be a busy and challenging year.”
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