AN apprentice scheme introduced by retailers Francis of Malvern has proved so successful, the company has decided to extend it.

As the Malvern Link company's current apprentice finishes his twelve month placement, the business is now looking for a successor.

Having gone straight to Francis from school, 18-years-old year old Matt Holeman has developed his workplace skills so much he has secured a position in Gloucester as a software engineer for leading international developer CGI.

Francis of Malvern managing director Donald Mackenzie said: "As a company we strongly believe in nurturing young talent in the workplace. We want our apprentices to get really stuck into real, valid projects. Matt was one of a team who implemented a new software system over the past year and this undoubtedly has helped him win his new job. As well as that, his new employers will benefit from Matt’s ability to deal with all types of people.”

Nik Wall, commercial manager, IT apprenticeships at LMPQ Academy, which placed Mr Holeman at Francis, added: "We are very proud of Matt’s performance at Francis of Malvern, and really value the company's involvement as an employer in our apprenticeship scheme. LMPQ prides itself on recruiting great apprentices and finding them fantastic employers and this pairing shows what can be achieved by joining an apprenticeship.”