We believe that continuous growth and development is key to unlocking the potential of our people. By putting talent at the centre of our people strategy and prioritising opportunities for growth, we are building an adaptable and resilient workforce where all are enabled to thrive.
To support personal development at all stages of our colleagues’ career, we offer a range of in‑person and virtual learning and development resources, including our self-directed digital learning platforms, B Learning and Go1, and our internal Apprenticeship Programme. Created in collaboration with our people and delivered by external training providers, our Apprenticeship Programme offers Burberry colleagues the opportunity to enhance their skills in over 30 disciplines by undertaking further education alongside their role at minimal to no personal cost.
Further to this, we also have bespoke training programmes that help our colleagues grow from managers to senior leaders in the business, support schemes that nurture young talent and maintain our commitment to preserving craftsmanship through a rolling training initiative at our Castleford manufacturing site.
We recognise that great leadership not only guides our organisation but also sets the tone for our culture and inspires our people to reach their full potential. To support this, in FY 2024/25 we introduced Leading Forward, which comprised two initiatives, B:Leaders and B:Managers.
The B:Leaders Framework was launched in March 2025. It has three aims: Bring Clarity, Create Connection and Strive Forward, and is designed to equip colleagues with the knowledge, skills and tools to lead with clarity, inspire confidence and drive impactful change. The framework is being delivered collaboratively through learning events, regular meetings, online resources, a series of interviews with senior leaders, and peer coaching circles. To launch the B:Leaders Framework, we hosted an internal keynote speaker and panel discussion focusing on the power of optimism and resilience in creating a high‑performance culture. Leaders then received practical guidance on how to activate the key themes within their teams.
B:Managers, our new development training for line managers, was announced to colleagues in FY 2024/25, and is due to roll out in FY 2025/26. Comprising virtual skills-based learning sessions and supported by a Line Manager Playbook, the development training is designed to set a consistent experience of management for both colleagues and line managers, further enabling our high-performance culture.
We believe in providing opportunities for young people to showcase their creativity and build a rewarding career in the fashion industry.
Alongside internship and apprenticeship opportunities across the business, we offer a Design Graduate Programme and Undergraduate Placement Year Programme, which helps more than 30 students and graduates gain first-hand experience alongside experienced professionals.
In 2020, we also launched a global creative arts scholarship programme to support the next generation of creative leaders from underrepresented communities. The scholarships provide more equal access to creative arts programmes at some of the world’s most esteemed creative institutions, Central Saint Martins in London and Institut Français de la Mode in Paris, by assessing applicants on the basis of financial need as well as academic merit.
To build on this, in 2023 we announced a partnership with The BRIT School to support fashion education and help the school to continue to offer world-class facilities and educational off-site visits at no cost to families. As part of the partnership, we introduced a Stepping Stones Bursary Prize which offers two graduating year 13 students of global majority backgrounds financial support as they embark on a creative career.
Artisanal skills have long been a hallmark of luxury and form an important part of our 168-year heritage. We believe, not only in the importance of preserving critical manufacturing skills, but in building employability by fostering continuous growth and enabling our colleagues to develop in their roles.
To support this, we established a training facility at our manufacturing site in Castleford, Yorkshire to help us upskill our colleagues, as well as attract and retain new talent.
Through the facility and a rolling training initiative, both new hires and colleagues of all levels are able to join a twelve-week programme which offers a holistic understanding of Burberry’s production operations.
From creating buttonholes and inputting loops, to advanced machine or hand sewing, trainees are taught how to create key parts of a garment to Burberry’s quality standards, before being assessed on how the level of quality is maintained whilst also working at production speed. Since our first cohort, the programme has helped over 300 individuals and offered over 10,000 hours of practical skill training.
