SS&L Employer of the Month – April 2026

“I think the service is amazing and has given our business the opportunity to upskill and develop our team without having to do a lot or pay a lot of money. It’s been brilliant for the business, myself and the team.”

This month we’re celebrating The Country Dog Hotel as our Employer of the Month for April 2026!

With three apprentices currently studying with us, SS&L Account Manager Tracey nominated The Country Dog Hotel, saying:

“I chose The Country Dog Hotel as Employer of the Month because the owners, Mike and Becki, consistently go above and beyond to support their apprentices. They’re genuinely committed to making things work for their team and are an absolute pleasure to work with. What really stands out is how keen they are for their apprentices to put their learning into practice. Not only does that make things easier for us as a learning provider, but it means their apprentices can get so much more out of the experience.

And of course… any excuse to visit them in their beautiful Quantocks location is always a bonus!”

We caught up with Mike, who owns and runs the hotel with his wife Becki, about what it means to be an Employer of the Month!

From business meeting to management apprenticeships

Mike had never considered apprenticeships before meeting SS&L’s Tracey and Heidi at a local business breakfast.

“It was Tracy and Heidi’s presentation that made me first think about putting our guys through apprenticeships,” says Mike. “I’d never considered it before as we weren’t aware there was even a service like this.”

The business benefits of apprentices

“By putting Emilie, Sophie, and Casey through the apprenticeships with SS&L we’ve been able to upskill some of our most valued team members,” Mike continues. “And all without having to do much our end or pay a lot of money.”

In turn, the apprentices put what they’ve learned into practice and made changes to how the business is run. This has meant everyone has benefited from the positive changes they’ve made.

“They’ve brought some brilliant ideas back to the business. It’s helped us to highlight some gaps that we needed to fill, which they’ve done using the skills they’ve learned.”

What comes next…?

“For the hotel, everything we do is for the dogs! Hopefully, with help from the apprentices, we’ll continue to grow and look after as many dogs as we can!

For the apprentices, the sky is the limit. We’re just happy we can be a part of their journey.”

To find out how apprenticeships can help develop your team, give us a call on 0330 332 9779 for no-obligation conversation, or fill out our contact form here.