6:12pm Monday 20th July 2009
By Thom Airs
HE would be unlikely to make it into Alan Sugar’s TV boardroom, but a pensioner from Oxford has been told “you’re hired” as a national retailer’s oldest apprentice.
Seventy-year-old Terry Robinson has shunned the retired life of golf and gardening to work on the shop floor at B&Q in the John Allen Centre, in Between Towns Road, Cowley.
He is the oldest employee in Britain to undertake the DIY company’s year-long apprenticeship scheme, which includes gaining an NVQ in retail skills.
The father-of-one, from Sandford-on-Thames, said: “When I was 68 I did try retirement.
“Lots of my friends had gone into retirement, but they had gone terminal or were getting that way.
“I thought, ‘this isn’t for me’ and decided to get a part-time job. I enjoy meeting new people and talking to people, so I applied online, was asked for an interview and here I am.
“I work 20 hours a week which suits me down to the ground. I class myself as semi-retired, but it keeps me active. I must walk up and down the shop 30 times a day.”
Until two years ago, Mr Robinson had worked for 22 years as a park manager responsible for three mobile-home sites around the home counties, but grew tired of the 100-mile daily commute.
Asked whether it was worthwhile gaining qualifications in his 70s, he replied: “My feeling is to give customer service you have to have some sort of qualification and product knowledge.
“As far as I’m concerned it’s useful while I’m working in this job and beneficial to me, beneficial to the customers and to the company.
“I’ll work here until my hair and teeth drop out and I can’t walk any more.
“There’s no upper age limit, so far as long as I’m able to work.”
He added: “I’ve recommended it to so many people. They live their lives behind net curtains, but I want to do something useful and it brings in a bit of money and keeps me fit.
“The thing with B&Q is it’s a pure team effort, everyone works as a team. Age doesn’t come into it.”
B&Q employs 33,500 people, of which 28 per cent are over 50 and about eight per cent are over 65.
Asked if he thought he was depriving a teenage school-leaver of an apprenticeship, Mr Robinson said: “Everybody has equal opportunities and if they want to apply themselves there’s no reason why they can’t work here.”
“I think it would be foolish at my age to think I could go up to the giddy heights of management, but I just want to be of value to the company and keep the grey matter turning.”
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