We believe that continuous growth and development equips our people to adapt to evolving demands and increases resilience in their roles.
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 platform, B Learning, 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 elevate leadership capability, we developed a structured framework of three global programmes, each designed to build upon the other and guide all Burberry leaders at pivotal milestones in their careers. The programmes have been designed around our Company values and include our Manager Development Programme (MDP), Senior Manager Development Programme (SMDP) and Executive Development Programme (EDP).
Our EDP is tailored exclusively for Directors and above. This programme is designed to develop senior leaders’ flexibility and agility, traits crucial for success, particularly in times of change and uncertainty. The initiative integrates our Company values and enhances leadership capabilities through a blend of internally and externally led workshops, peer discussions, networking opportunities and self-directed development. Over seven months, participants engage in 10 hours of learning, including a comprehensive six-month one-on-one coaching component in collaboration with behavioural change specialists MindGym.
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, including The New School’s Parsons School of Design in New York City, Institut Français de la Mode in Paris and Central Saint Martins in London, 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 263 individuals and offered over 10,000 hours of practical skill training.
