TOTE CHAIRMAN’S THOUGHTS - CELEBRATING TEAM WORK

Monday 8th February 2021

Hello and welcome to my second blog as Chairman of the UK Tote Group.

Last month, I looked at the role of pool betting on the international stage but this time I want to focus closer to home, highlighting how our team has grown and adapted in the most challenging of circumstances.

Today marks the beginning of National Apprenticeship Week, which we at the Tote are proud to support. Last year, as part of long-term plans to build the team, we welcomed five excellent apprentices, who are all now working as integral members of the team and helping us to deliver a first-class digital offering for our customers.

Soon after purchasing the Tote, we sought to strengthen our engineering team and made a conscious decision to build our own talent pool. We partnered with Northcoders to bring on board four local people as software developer apprentices for a 12-month programme, with the aim of them eventually joining the team on a permanent basis. In addition to our software developer apprentices, we have also recruited a User-Experience (UX) Degree apprentice who will study for 4 years at Manchester Met University.

Two members of our team are also on the Employer Advisory Board with Manchester Met University, where we are providing feedback and shaping the future of the curriculum to ensure students will be equipped with the necessary skills for the workplaces of the future.

I have always believed in nurturing young talent and am delighted the Tote has taken an active decision to do this from the outset. Our apprenticeship scheme is beneficial to the apprentices who have the chance to be part of an exciting opportunity, but it also makes for good business as everyone works to build a bright future for the Tote.

We are building the Tote’s digital platforms from scratch and we need the best engineers and experts in user experience to ensure the Tote is one of the safest and most fun place to have a bet.

Bringing in and nurturing talent is the most sustainable way for us to do this and grow our business in the years ahead.

If you want to hear more, the Tote’s Head of Talent and Development, Janet Ainsworth, discusses the Tote’s investment in apprentices with Ian Browne, Apprenticeships & External Skills, at Lloyds Banking Group. The 15-minute piece can be viewed here.

I was also delighted to see that at the same time as I joined the Tote in September 2020, the business was accredited by the Living Wage Foundation as an official Living Wage employer.

I am incredibly impressed with how the Tote team is forging on with plans. We are in the middle of putting the finishing touches on a new Tote HQ in Wigan to house our team, which has grown from 50 to 120 people and is continuing to expand.

It will be a happy day when, once again, we can all be together for chats over the water cooler or a cup of tea. Until we can enjoy that moment, I think we should all give ourselves a big pat on the back because as a team and, therefore, as a business, we are proving remarkably resilient.

For more information about the UK Tote Group please visit www.uktotegroup.com and follow us @UKToteGroup and @ToteRacing.