Castle Howard fortifies York College apprentices with an armoury of different skills – both old and new

The majestic Henderskelfe residence – a regular setting for film and television productions – has a diverse programme for apprentices in building services, catering and beyond.

Apprentices like Frankie Taylor (Painting & Decorating), Oliver Moss (Joinery) and Archie Leggett (Production Chef), who have shared their experiences of hands-on learning at the historic estate while gaining valuable qualifications at York College.

Fittingly, given their surroundings, they are also being tutored in traditional ways of working as well as new.

Chris Convery, Head of People at Castle Howard, also emphasises the vital role apprenticeships play in addressing skills shortages, preserving traditional trades and supporting local talent. With a commitment to expanding opportunities, Castle Howard continues to champion apprenticeships as a pathway to career growth and heritage preservation.

Painting & Decorating Apprentice Frankie Taylor is currently in the second year of his Apprenticeship after completing a vocational course at York College. Frankie was supported by his tutors in securing his Apprenticeship at Castle Howard and he had this to say about his experience and love for working on the estate:

“I decided to study Painting & Decorating because I liked the artistic side of it. I find it really rewarding to work on a building like Castle Howard as most of the work here is restoration. I like the combination of gaining experience before I am qualified while learning the theory side of the job at College. It’s giving me a lot of knowledge and confidence – it’s a great way to learn and get your foot in the door.”

Working alongside Frankie in the Building Services Team at Castle Howard as an Apprentice Joiner, Oliver Moss is currently in the first year of his Carpentry & Joinery Apprenticeship programme. Inspired as a child by helping with projects at home, Oliver spoke to us about his love for joinery and learning traditional craftmanship skills at the historic estate:

“I like hands-on work and when I was younger, I used to enjoy helping with projects at home. I did all sorts, I made a shoe rack, helped fix doors and generally just really enjoyed the process of making and fixing things.

“I wanted to learn something where I could be hands on rather than being in a classroom. At Castle Howard it’s nice to see how previous joiners would have worked. It’s good to work around what they’ve previously done and replicate it. They used to use mainly chisels but now joinery is a lot more machine based. I’ve learnt a lot of skills on how to use a chisel from being at Castle Howard and I’ve enjoyed that. I’m feeling a lot more confident from the experience.”

The two Building Services Apprentices also shared that because Castle Howard is offering different Apprenticeship opportunities, this helps them to learn about teamwork and collaboration. Oliver explained that: “Whatever I do impacts what Frankie does. It’s nice to work with different trades and work together.”

Across in the catering side of the Castle Howard business is Level 3 Production Chef Apprentice, Archie Leggett. Archie, who initially studied A Levels, worked alongside his studies as a Kitchen Porter in a local pub. His enthusiasm for the catering industry started here and, combined with a new love of making Hello Fresh recipes at home, he decided an Apprenticeship would be a good route for him.

“I used to work at a pub alongside studying my A Levels,” he explained. “They offered me a job as a chef but I wanted to challenge myself. That’s when I applied for the apprenticeship at Castle Howard.

“I didn’t enjoy sixth form as much I thought I would. I studied Physical Education, Geography and Business so moving over into catering was a big change for me. I wanted to do a more practical job.

“When I make something and someone says it looks nice or it tastes good, it makes me feel really proud.

“It’s interesting working at Castle Howard as not many people get the chance to work at a stately home. Even coming in on a morning and looking at the surroundings feels really good. The work is also really varied - you’d struggle to get bored! Some days I’ll be working in the house, other days I could be in the Courtyard Café or the Boat House, then this week the TV chef Sabrina Ghayour is here doing a Supper Club. Each day is completely different.”

As part of his Apprenticeship, Archie spends one day a week at York College where he enjoys learning to make classic dishes while being inspired by his tutor Adam Tollerfield. On his time at College, Archie shared:

“The set up at College is really good, the tutors really know what they’re doing and they’re good at teaching you tricks. I’ve learnt a lot from Adam, my tutor, and I find it interesting hearing about his story. He’s worked at Michelin-starred restaurants and I like to listen to his experiences of the industry.

“At College we do a lot of classic dishes. You get to learn a real variety on the basics of cooking that you can then expand on.”

Chris Convery, Head of People at Castle Howard, who describes Apprenticeships as “essential” and “vital” to skills shortages, has been supporting apprentices on the estate for a number of years. Speaking of the importance of apprenticeships, he explained:

“We’ve been taking on apprentices for years at Castle Howard and it’s so important for the team to have that fresh perspective of young/new people coming into the business who have enthusiasm for learning and finding out more about the estate.”

Offering a large number of opportunities to young people and those wanting to retrain, Castle Howard currently supports apprenticeships in catering and building services as well as finance and accounting, historically.

Looking to expand on the apprenticeship provision, he went on to say:

“As an organisation, we’re always open to offering more opportunities. When we have a new vacancy, if we can find an apprenticeship programme that is suitable, then it makes sense to offer this. We’re always looking to expand on the apprenticeships that we offer.”

Speaking of what he looks for in an apprentice and challenging stigmas around a person requiring experience, when recruiting for a new team member he shared:

“It’s always about attitude and enthusiasm. If they come with the right attitude and they want to progress and develop, that’s what were looking for. There can be that kind of stigma where people need to have experience, but for us we believe that if they’ve got the right attitude, we can give them the skills and opportunity to develop with us.”

Reflecting on the success of his former apprentices, Chris shared the progression made by that of Ellie Ramsey. Joining Castle Howard as an apprentice chef and remaining with the company after completing her studies, Ellie not only progressed throughout her apprenticeship, she has also progressed through the kitchen.

“Ellie completed her apprenticeship five years ago and stayed with the business,” he said. “Initially she was promoted to Chef de Partie and she has now progressed into a Sous Chef role. She’s a real integral part of the team here a Castle Howard and a great example for new apprentices who join us.”

On their commitment to the local area, Chris described Apprenticeships as “invaluable” to their surrounding community.

“Apprenticeships are essential,” he declared. “As a fairly large employer in the local area, we’ve got to offer opportunities for young people and to those of all ages. Apprenticeships offer individuals the ability to learn and to earn and, for the local area, that is invaluable.

“Apprenticeships also help to tackle skills shortages. Looking at Building Services as an example, a lot of the trades that the guys do here are being phased out and we’re at risk of them not existing anymore. It’s really important that we’re offering opportunities in these trades and we would like to look at introducing occupations such as Stonemasonry into our Apprenticeship offering. For me, the type of skills that are learnt on apprenticeships are vital and otherwise would not exist.”

On the relationship Castle Howard have with York College as a training provider for their apprentices, he said:

“I’m a big believer in supporting our apprentices to go to College one day a week. I’ve worked with apprentices in other businesses and industries and giving our people the opportunity to go to College and spend a day a week with their peers is really important. It gives apprentices the opportunity to have some time away from the workplace so they can focus on their learning and development.

“To other organisations considering offering an Apprenticeship, I’d say do it! I think nowadays, any business needs to be looking at having an apprenticeship plan.

“I’d encourage businesses to speak to their local College. I’m a firm believer in working with colleges to get that partnership, which will help them to find the right candidate and put them through the relevant qualifications.

“The benefits to the company are so rewarding as you’ll get someone who’s going to be loyal and want to progress within your organisation. I’ve had brilliant apprentices over the years, so speak to your local college, find out what apprenticeship opportunities there are, and you’ll be surprised by the variety that’s available.”