Pilot IMS is a leading national training provider that has been delivering skills, welfare and youth programmes for public and private partners since 2001. They recently supported Holden’s Bottling, the employer and Julie Bagnall, the apprentice, with tailored training, ongoing guidance, and flexible delivery of an apprenticeship that fitted within and around business operations.
Holden’s Bottling is a West Midlands-based SME in the drinks manufacturing sector – it’s a family-run company with a strong community focus. A skills gap in team leadership roles at Holden’s meant they needed to strengthen their leadership structure and build resilience for future growth by developing new senior team leaders to improve planning, performance, and flexibility. Partnering with Pilot IMS, Holden’s identified Julie Bagnall as the candidate to complete the Level 3 Team Leader Apprenticeship. With the help of Pilot and guidance from Holden’s, Julie was able to develop leadership, time management, and professional behaviours and gain deeper understanding of cross-department collaboration. She overcame challenges including Functional Skills Maths resit and learned to balance work commitments with her study. In the end, Julie achieved a distinction and was promoted to Senior Team Leader
Carl Grove, Production Manager at Holden’s Bottling said, “We identified a skills gap within our structure, and decided we needed a senior team leader. We’ve now filled the gap because Julie successfully completed the team leader program. The position is proving to add stability to our business and adding flexibility to our planning and performance. The Pilot staff were flexible, supportive and understanding of our needs as a small business. We would not hesitate to recommend the scheme to other SMEs.”
Julie Bagnall, Apprentice, Holden's Bottling“I wanted to gain real hands-on experience while learning at the same time. I’ve always preferred practical learning. It has allowed me to earn, learn and build on my confidence. Completing my apprenticeship with distinction has boosted my confidence and opened the door to promotion. It showed I was capable, committed, and ready to take on more responsibility.”
The impact for Holden’s Bottling has been striking. They’ve found that a stronger leadership team and increased workforce stability are very tangible proofs that apprenticeships really do work. They can fill vital skills gaps in SMEs. For Julie, the impact of her apprenticeship has been just as impressive. New and exciting avenues have opened up for her as a result of the hard work and commitment she put in, including opportunities for career progression, a big increase in confidence, and a newly discovered ambition to move into production management and continuous improvement roles. For Pilot IMS, the success of Julie’s journey has not just been a success for the organisation, but has inspired Holden’s Bottling to explore the possibilities of more apprenticeships with Pilot, with funding supported through a levy share from the West Midlands Combined Authority.
This last step in particular shows how apprenticeships can scale impact — creating a sustainable pipeline of skilled talent for SMEs. And the whole journey for both apprentice and employer demonstrates the power of apprenticeships in SMEs and shows how they can deliver skills, opportunity, and growth for both employers and their current and prospective employees.