PARENTS and their children are being invited to go on a tour of a top bakery that’s launched a campaign to recruit 16 and 17 year old school leavers.

The award-winning Wrexham-based Jones Village Bakery has a range of jobs on offer including 20 apprenticeships – and the promise of adult Real Living Wage pay rates from the word go, starting at £9.50 an hour.

In recent years, the family firm has concentrated on recruiting young people aged over the age of 18 but says it’s been missing a trick.

Now the bakery is going back to the future to recruit younger workers straight from school and offering them “fantastic prospects”.

The company has traditionally had a grow-your-own policy and most of its bakery managers and supervisors joined as school leavers and climbed the career ladder.

Also on offer are 9am to 5pm weekday shifts as well as weekend roles for students, with family friendly shifts also available.

According to the company, a job with the Jones Village Bakery was a debt-free option to university with great career prospects for the right candidates.

HR manager Jason Page said: “We have great career opportunities and we are at least a Real Living Wage employer.

“Younger people joining us -that’s 16-17 year olds - start at £9.50 an hour rather than rather than the £4.60 provided by the National Minimum Wage.”

Among the recent starters at the Jones Village Bakery is Tilly Squire,16, from Wrexham, who’s been working the packing department for the past month.

She said: “What I like about working here is that we are paid the Real Living Wage and not the minimum wage.

“I’m one of the youngest but everyone’s really friendly and that’s important because I wouldn’t want to work with them if they weren’t nice.

“I work Monday to Friday so I still get the weekends of so I can still see my friends.

“I would like to progress and become a line supervisor or move up to be a manager.”

Managing director Robin Jones said: “We are a growing company and there are lot so exciting times ahead so, essentially, we’re going back to basics in terms of recruitment.

“We’re looking to take on young people straight from school as we did with Tom Breeze and Jack Davies who joined as young lads and are now bakery managers.

“Our grow-your-own policy has been the foundation of our success - there are some great kids out there and I want to really push a vocational route.

“We expect people to work hard but for that we pay young people a proper adult wage.

“Yes, it’s hard work but they can earn plenty of dough at the Village Bakery.”

Anybody wanting more details should email the Jones Village Bakery at recruitment@villagebakery.co.uk.