Good morning everyone. My name’s Janet Parker and I’m the human resources manager. We’re very happy to welcome you to your new apprenticeship. I hope that the next six months will be a positive and enjoyable experience for you.

I’d like to start with some general advice about being an apprentice. Most of you have very little or no experience of working for a big organisation and the first week or so may be quite challenging. There will be a lot of new information to take in but don’t worry too much about trying to remember everything. The important thing is to 【Q11】 check with someone if you’re not sure what to do – you’ll find your supervisor is very approachable and won’t mind explaining things or helping you out. You’re here to learn so make the most of that opportunity. You’ll be spending time in different departments during your first week so make an effort to 【Q12】 talk to as many people as possible about their work – you’ll make some new friends and find out lots of useful information.

As well as having a supervisor, you’ll each be assigned a mentor. This person will be someone who’s recently completed an apprenticeship and you’ll meet with them on a weekly basis. Their role is to provide help and support throughout your apprenticeship. Of course, this doesn’t mean they’ll actually do any of your work for you – instead they’ll be asking you about 【Q13】 what goals you’ve achieved so far, as well as helping you to identify any areas for improvement. You can also 【Q14】 discuss your more long-term ambitions with them as well.

Now I just want to run through a few company policies for our apprenticeship scheme with you… Most importantly, the internet. As part of your job you’ll be doing some research online so obviously you’ll have unlimited access for that but please 【Q15】 don’t use it for personal use – you’ll have your own phones for that.

Some of you have already asked me about flexible working. After your probationary three-month period – some of you will be eligible for this – but 【Q16】 it will depend on which department you’re in and what your personal circumstances are. So please don’t assume you’ll automatically be permitted to do this.

I want to make sure there’s no confusion about our holiday policy. Apart from any statutory public holidays 【Q17】 we ask that you don’t book any holidays until after your six-month apprenticeship has finished. Time off should only be taken if you are unwell. Please speak to your supervisor if this is going to be a problem.

You’ll be expected to work a 40-hour week but there may be opportunities to do overtime during busy periods. Although you’re not required to do this, 【Q18】 it can be a valuable experience – so we advise you to take it up if possible. Obviously, we understand that people do have commitments outside work, so don’t worry if there are times when you are unavailable.

As you know, we don’t have a formal dress code here – you may wear casual clothes as long as they’re practical – and the only restriction for shoes we have is on high heels for health and safety reasons. 【Q19】 Comfortable shoes like trainers are preferable.

There’s a heavily subsidised canteen on site where you can get hot meals or salads cheaply. Snacks and drinks are also provided – so 【Q20】 we’ve decided to introduce a no packed lunch policy. This is partly to encourage healthy eating at work and partly to stop people from eating at their workstation, which is unhygienic.

OK moving on to …