Newport East Assembly Member John Griffiths visited the Budweiser Brewing Group, part of global brewer AB InBev, site in Magor to meet apprentices who are taking their first steps into the UK brewing industry.
The apprentices, all of whom are aged between 17 – 21, are participating in a Technical Services apprenticeship, developing their brewing and engineering skills over a four-year period. The apprenticeship scheme is run across Budweiser Brewing Group’s UK breweries and is now in its 41st year.
The visit formed part of the brewery’s activity around Apprenticeship Week Cymru, a Business Wales led celebration of apprentices and their employers, during the first week of February.
Mr Griffith’s visit to the brewery gave the apprentices an opportunity to demonstrate their roles in action, whilst also discussing the learning opportunities afforded to them through the apprenticeship scheme. John then enjoyed a behind-the-scenes tour of the Magor brewery with the apprentices as his guides.
Budweiser Brewing Group’s Magor brewery first opened its doors in 1979 – the same year as the company’s first apprenticeship programme. Today, it is home to more than 375 employees brewing more than 930 million pints each year, across fifteen of the nation’s most loved beer brands.
Lloyd Manship, Brewery Manager at Magor, said: “I started my career as an apprentice at this brewery in 1999, so I can vouch first-hand for how valuable this programme is – but it’s even more important for John to be able to hear about the experiences of today’s apprentices, from the work they do to the difference the role has made in their lives.”
John Griffiths, Assembly Member for Newport East, said: “It was great to meet the apprentices at the Magor brewery during Apprenticeship Week Cymru. I was really impressed by the apprentices I met and enjoyed hearing more about the skills they are learning, their ambitions and what their apprenticeship means to them. I wish them all the best as they progress in their careers.”
