AN MP has welcomed moves by a pub company and brewer to train more apprentices.

And he has heard first-hand about the benefits of the career path from an existing apprentice with Greene King.

Philip Davies – whose Shipley constituency includes Cullingworth and Denholme – invited Hayden Broadbent to a Parliamentary reception held to help celebrate the launch of a new report and set of social mobility commitments produced by the company, which operates more than 2,750 pubs, restaurants and hotels across Britain.

Hayden, who works in the constituency, features in the Stepping Up report as a case study.

It highlights how completing an apprenticeship with Greene King is helping him take the first steps of a career in hospitality.

Hayden is a carer to his sister and is currently studying for a Level 2 apprenticeship, and his employer has worked with him to ensure his timetable is shaped around home commitments.

The report was produced as part of efforts to challenge social mobility barriers and create opportunities in the hospitality sector for everyone, from all backgrounds.

In a survey last year, carried out by the Social Mobility Commission, 40 per cent of respondents felt it was getting more difficult for people from less-advantaged backgrounds to move up in British society.

Hayden says people often wrongly view hospitality as a low-skilled industry.

"Actually it requires a great deal of training and development and I feel I’ve really benefited from my apprenticeship," he said.

"It’s really important for me that I balance my career development around my other important commitments outside of work.

"The flexibility of an apprenticeship has helped me develop my career and made this so much more than just a one-off or temporary job.

"I’m really pleased to have been included in the report and I hope that people will look at my story and see how they too can benefit from an apprenticeship and training and overcome the odds to create a successful career path for themselves.

"An apprenticeship is a continual process of learning and development and I was proud to attend the launch of the report. It really sets out some important goals."

Mr Davies welcomed the chance to meet and talk with Hayden.

"It was great to hear about the difference the Greene King apprenticeship programme has made to his life," added Mr Davies.

"Local employers play a crucial role in supporting social mobility so I welcome the important steps Greene King has announced in the Stepping Up report."

The report sets out several ambitions to encourage greater social mobility and calls on the Government and wider industry to play its part.

Commitments include the setting-up of an employment programme for ex-offenders, the creation of 20,000 apprenticeships by 2022 and an expansion of its partnership with the Prince's Trust.

Rooney Anand, for the company, said: "Having served the nation for over 200 years, we’ve witnessed the hospitality industry’s ability to propel social mobility time and again.

"Starting and growing careers from the pub floor to senior leadership, it backs individuals from all walks of life and offers them the chance to turn a short-term shift into a lifelong career.

"Of course social mobility has no single solution. We all need to play our part and I hope that through sharing our efforts, we can encourage others to step-up to the challenge."