Crown Worldwide Group UK & Ireland has reason to celebrate during National Apprenticeship Week (9-15th February), with 30 existing or former apprentices currently employed within its UK and Ireland business.
From the group of current apprentices, 21 young people aged between 16 and 21 are employed in roles as diverse as HR Support, Project Management, Removals Operations, and Business Administration. A further nine people completed their apprenticeships with Crown and remain employed in positions such as Customer Service, IT Operations, and HR Administration.
Jack Barton completed a Project Management apprenticeship with Crown and is now Deputy Head of Gallery Services. He said: “An apprenticeship built around a rotational scheme gave me the chance to work across multiple internal offices and divisions, helping me understand how each part of the business operates and how they connect. That exposure allowed me to build strong relationships, broaden my knowledge of different business units, and develop a well‑rounded view of the company. The dedicated weekly study day was invaluable too, helping to bridge the gap between education and full‑time work by reinforcing the theory behind the practical experience I was gaining.
“Training in project management has proved especially useful in my current role in Fine Art shipping & logistics, where it could be said that every shipment functions as its own project – each with differing timelines, stakeholders, risks, and moving parts to coordinate. The skills I developed during my apprenticeship continue to shape the way I plan, communicate, and deliver results in a fast‑paced operational environment.”
Anita Nguyen, Marketing Apprentice, was part of the latest cohort of 11 apprentices to join Crown in September 2025. She said: “I’d known for a while that I wanted to participate in an apprenticeship programme rather than continue full-time education, as the split between direct job experience alongside continuing formal learning was something that I knew would suit me perfectly.
“Since joining Crown, my experience has been both positive and rewarding. I have developed skills in social media management, and I felt real pride to see posts that I created featuring amongst Crown’s best performing social content. In addition, a blog that I wrote featured in an email sent to tens of thousands of customers, which was really exciting.
“As well as having interesting projects to work on, I’ve embraced getting to work with a mix of people from different backgrounds and geographical locations who have had contrasting experiences, which I think helps me to become a much more rounded person. I feel like I have developed a nice network of internal contacts who I go to whenever I have a question, and everyone has been generous with their time and happy to support me.
“All in all, I would 100% recommend an apprenticeship to anyone who has an interest in taking this career path. I’d even go as far as saying that I’m the world’s biggest apprenticeship advocate!”
Debbie Matthews, Crown UK & Ireland Apprenticeships & Senior HR Advisor, said: “At Crown, we are immensely proud of our successful apprenticeship programme and to see so many people flourish as a direct result of the support offered to them while with the business is hugely rewarding for all involved. We continually look to develop a culture where people feel valued, supported, and empowered to grow and the success of our apprenticeship programme is testament to this.”
In 2025, Crown achieved Gold accredited membership of The 5% Club’s 2025–26 Employer Audit Scheme, recognising the company’s dedication to nurturing talent through ‘earn and learn’ opportunities, including apprenticeships, graduate programs, and sponsored student placements.