When it comes to heritage furniture brands, few boast more heritage than ercol, established in 1920 and still manufacturing in Buckinghamshire. Renowned for its design and craftsmanship, the business has negotiated many changes across its lifetime, and has developed a commendably progressive take on staffing and training …
National Older Workers Week, which takes place each November, aims to recognise the value of over-50s in the workplace. According to the ONS, there are now some 10.9 million people aged 50+ in employment, more than any other time in history – and ercol is making good use of these experienced individuals.
With a workforce of 81 in its factory – 31 of which are aged over 60, with, at the other end of the scale, 18 apprentices – the furnituremaker recognises the potential in staff of all ages, and how their skills and knowledge might complement one another.
Technical support manager Roy Greaves, says he is extremely proud of the company’s commitment to valuing its older staff: “We’re reliant on the skills and experience that the older person brings – so much so that 56% of our staff are over 50.
“We are also aware of the problems which come with an ageing workforce. This is the main reason why we look to the apprenticeship programme for support. A large portion of our adult-based workforce have originally come through our apprenticeship scheme (16 of our current over-50s have completed an apprenticeship with ercol), and we’re proud to still have them as part of the team as they’re able to pass on their knowledge and experience to the next generation of ercol workers.”
Production manager Brian Snelling agrees. Growing up, Brian had several part-time jobs throughout school and studied around the corner from Ercol, so when the opportunity to undertake an apprenticeship with Ercol came up, he jumped at the chance. He completed a three-year apprenticeship in polishing and, eager to further upskill, undertook a two-year course in advanced polishing.
Some 37 years later, Brian now boasts a whole family of apprentices, as not only did his wife also complete an apprenticeship at ercol in sewing, but his three children all followed in their parents’ footsteps and undertook apprenticeships in their respective fields.
Both Roy and Brian are currently working with the Department for Education’s Skills for Life campaign, which aims to inspire adults of all ages to learn new skills and boost their career opportunities, and were keen to share their insight with Furniture News …
What value do ercol’s older members of staff bring to the table?
Roy: I believe older workers bring with them a wealth of knowledge and experience to the workforce. Over half (56%) of our staff are over 50, and they all have vital experience in the skills that they use every day, which can be passed on to younger generations. Our older workers are extremely valuable to the workforce and ercol takes pride in them and their contributions to upskilling their colleagues.
How established is your apprenticeship scheme, and how has it changed in recent years?
Roy: We’ve had apprentices since ercol’s early beginnings so it’s very well established, but we’ve offered the modern apprenticeships for seven years. Last year alone we onboarded five apprentices, and now have a total of 19 at ercol.
A benefit of the apprenticeship programme is that it is agile, which has helped when we’ve needed to adapt at times to keep up with societal changes and different needs that we’ve had as a business. We’ve continued to keep the format the same however, as we know how effective and rewarding the programme is for those who undertake it.
Roy Greaves
Why do you think working at ercol might appeal to older applicants? Do you think being a heritage brand helps?
Brian: Definitely! I think the heritage aspect appeals to older applicants as they may be more familiar with the history of ercol and its roots. In addition, more than half of our workforce being over 50 is another reason that I believe could be a big appeal to older workers – they are able to have a good balance of working alongside a younger generation with fresh, new ideas that they can shape, as well as a good number of peers of a similar age.
Apprenticeships are often viewed as a young person’s pathway – how might the industry change this perception?
Brian: The furnishing industry can change this perception by highlighting the success stories of older workers who’ve made career changes into the industry. With entry options such as an apprenticeship, it is never too late to change your career route into something you genuinely enjoy and are interested in, and perhaps if more people were aware of this, we might see it as a more commonly chosen option.
I also believe offering tailored programmes that cater to people with different life experiences challenges the perception – when you’re being taught as you work, you don’t need to have a catalogue of relevant experience, you can bring your unique skills to the table instead.
What problems come with having an older workforce, and how do you try to overcome them?
Roy: There are some more challenging aspects that come with an ageing workforce – in particular, of course, the fact that we know our team are closer to retirement age, so they may work with us for less time than people right at the beginning of their career. This is the main reason why we look towards the apprenticeship programme for supporting the growth and facilitation of younger workers as well as older ones.
Whilst we do hire older apprentices, we have a good track record of younger people staying with us throughout their career, so there is value in a dual-pronged approach for a robust workforce.
What sort of skills are utilised at ercol, and which get harder with age?
Roy: We need a variety of skills at ercol, the key ones being technical skills which involve machine operation, physical skills which involve strength, and cognitive skills like attention to detail. Physical skills get harder with age as this involves tasks such as assembling and heavy lifting which require strength and stamina, which often declines as you get older – we make sure we have the right team members in the right places to account for this.
Brian Snelling
How do you ensure the skills are passed down?
Brian: Our apprenticeship schemes are well tailored to ensure that important skills and tricks of the trade – in particular, things like machine operation and assembling – are passed down. This way, the next generation can absorb those skills and put them into practice whilst they’re working on the shop floor, then they will hopefully retain it throughout their career at ercol and one day pass it on to the next generation themselves.
To what extent is ercol embracing automation over handicrafts?
Roy: We value both at ercol. Combining modern CNC machining with traditional skills such as steam bending and hand finishing is what makes many of our pieces unique. Using modern technology enhances the handcrafting, it doesn’t replace it.
Making furniture is a skilled process, we rely on the most valuable tool – our makers’ hands – and this brings out the natural beauty of the materials that we use. Many of our pieces are made using methods we adopted over 100 years ago.
With so much industry focus on recruiting younger workers, do you feel older staff members’ views sometimes go unheard?
Brian: It depends on the company and where their priorities lie, but at ercol we make sure everyone’s voices are heard, as we’re all important in shaping how an individual feels every day when they come into work. It can be easy to disregard older workers and say, ‘They’re not the future of the company, so who cares’, but we couldn’t be any further from that.
People are like sponges, and absorb knowledge, and older workers have plenty of experience and knowledge to share, so we’d always take into account their views. Any suggestions by the teams to improve working experiences, or create positive changes for the company, are always welcomed.
When businesses talk about diversity, do you think they often overlook age?
Roy: Sometimes they do, and sometimes they don’t. Diversity can be very surface level, and for some it’s about ticking off a box. In my opinion, diversity is all about bringing in different voices from different walks of life. We see many different opinions and perspectives come from our team members, as you would expect in a workforce comprised of 17-year-olds through to 80-year-olds.
What does the younger staff cohort coming up through the ranks look like?
Roy: They all bring a lot of new ideas and suggestions, along with a lot of enthusiasm, to the company. They really do blend well into the teams and we all work together to support them throughout their apprenticeships, imparting our experience and knowledge where we can, to help them build the best future they can!
From Skills Bootcamps to Essential Skills courses, find out how career opportunities can be boosted by searching Skills for Life today.
