Line Manager Spotlight: Lisa Brooker
From Apprenticeship Insights to Real‑World Change
Circles provides personalised workplace hospitality and employee concierge services that enhance employee and guest experience across corporate sites.
Lisa Brooker is the Training Manager for Circles and supports apprentices on the Level 3 Business Administrator apprenticeship. With extensive experience leading large Front of House teams across London, she champions the role of apprenticeships in developing fresh, skilled talent and embedding Circles’ guest‑focused service culture from day one. Through her leadership, apprentices gain structured training, cross‑site experience, and a clear pathway into long‑term Front of House and leadership roles within Circles and the wider Sodexo Group.
What motivated your decision to bring apprentices into your Front of House workforce?
The decision was driven by a combination of operational need, social purpose and a desire to bring new energy into the Front of House teams. Circles employs large, diverse Front of House teams across London, and historically recruits people with varied levels of experience.
Apprenticeships offered the opportunity to bring in young, eager talent - often individuals fresh out of school, college or sixth form who might not otherwise access a corporate career due to limited work experience or academic grades.
We were already contributing to the apprenticeship levy (now the Growth and Skills Levy) and wanted to use it meaningfully by giving young people a fair chance. A structured pathway for someone who may never have had “their first break”.
A major motivation was the opportunity to bring in people free from preconceptions about what reception or guest services “should” look like. Many candidates had worked in static, traditional reception roles elsewhere. Circles’ model is dynamic, mobile, highly guest‑focused and requires a very different mindset. Apprentices can be taught this from day one as the default standard, rather than unlearning old habits.
Finally, apprenticeships support our desire to embed company values early. Many young people have never been taught what brand values are or why they matter and we see real value in shaping that understanding from the very beginning.
How do you see apprenticeships underpinning the future of your Front of House workforce?
Apprenticeships are seen as a cornerstone of Circles’s future Front of House talent strategy. They will continue to support fresh, skilled talent entering the business. They enable us to continually bring in individuals who are enthusiastic, adaptable and ready to learn the Circle’s way of doing things, something we see as crucial for sustaining service excellence.
The business already values continuous professional development, but apprenticeships strengthen this even further. They allow Circles to offer accredited qualifications, structured skill development and a pathway to further education.
This not only benefits new starters but also existing staff, who can also access funded learning rather than relying on commercially paid courses.
As our Front of House teams evolve, particularly with technology, apps, digital systems and compliance expectations, apprenticeships help build the confidence and capability our teams need. They also create a talent pipeline for Front of House Ambassador roles, Supervisor and Front of House Manager positions etc, including wider moves across Circles and the Sodexo Group.
We see apprenticeships as central to building long‑term capability, leadership talent and organisational stability.
How do you see apprentices contributing to the overall experience and reputation of your Front of House services across your London sites?
We strongly believe that apprentices will enhance both the guest experience and Circles’s reputation. Apprentices will be buddied with experienced teams, rotating across main and sister sites, immersed in different Front of House environments, setups and service styles.
This exposure will help them quickly develop Circles’s signature style: high‑touch, proactive and seamless. Their enthusiasm, willingness to learn and fresh perspective will bring energy to teams and strengthen site culture, creating a visible impact across client sites.
Guests and clients will know apprentices are part of the team and there is a strong sense that clients will value the investment Circles is making in young people. Apprentices become a symbol of innovation, social responsibility and future-focused workforce planning.
This visibility reinforces Circles as a forward‑thinking, people‑centred, socially responsible service provider.
What does long-term success look like for an Ambassador Apprentice at the end of their programme?
“Long‑term success means retaining, progressing and empowering apprentices in meaningful roles within Circles.
Our aim is to offer each apprentice a permanent Front of House Ambassador contract. We want to support their growth, confidence and broader exposure - taking on more responsibility, becoming fluent across different sites and front‑of‑house styles, having the skills to contribute independently and with impact.
We want our apprentices to see this not as a job, but as the start of a long and rewarding career, and to feel supported, nurtured and valued throughout.
Ultimately, success is when apprentices finish the programme feeling capable, confident and inspired to stay and grow within Circles or the wider Sodexo Group.”
Huge thank you to Lisa for sharing her perspective as a line manager and giving us insight into the apprenticeship. To find out more about our apprenticeships, click below.