Marshalls’ Vision to Develop a Skilled, Future‑Ready Workforce
As the UK’s leading provider of innovative landscaping, building, and roofing solutions, Marshalls is a business powered by its people.
With operations across multiple sites and the integration of new businesses such as Marley Roofing, the organisation recognised a clear strategic need; to nurture a consistent, modern leadership culture capable of supporting its growth ambitions and “The Marshalls Way” of working.
Marshalls understood that strong leadership goes beyond just ‘good practice’ to directly influence engagement, performance, safety, and long‑term organisational health. This clarity of vision led the organisation to take a proactive, intentional approach to developing leaders at every level. Their Apprenticeship Levy became a purposeful investment tool, directed towards building meaningful, long‑term skills within the workforce.
“Good leaders make a real difference – not just to the business, but to the people they work with every day.”
– Simon Pocock, Learning & Development Consultant, Marshalls
The Challenge: Consistency, Confidence, and Cultural Alignment
Marshalls faced several interconnected development needs:
- Aspiring leaders ready to take their first step into management
- Existing managers who had never received formal leadership training
- Teams joining through acquisition who needed alignment with Marshalls’ expectations
- The need for a shared leadership language across the Group
- A fast‑changing landscape requiring agile, capable leaders
What Marshalls set out to build was a future‑focused leadership culture.
Achieving this required a structured, applied learning pathway that could scale across business units, strengthen cultural consistency, and empower leaders to deliver results through their people.
The Solution: Marshalls’ Leadership Academy, Powered by Apprenticeships
To bring this vision to life, Marshalls built the Marshalls Leadership Academy, a structured, behaviour‑driven leadership development pathway grounded in real work, real impact, and the behavioural expectations of The Marshalls Way.
Instep UK became the supporting partner in this journey. For more than six years, we have helped Marshalls tailor leadership apprenticeship standards to reflect the organisation’s culture, strategy, and business priorities.
A Suite of Leadership Pathways Designed by Marshalls, for Marshalls
- Level 3 – Gateway to Management: Preparing aspiring leaders for their first step up
- Level 3 – Essentials of Management: Strengthening foundations for existing team leaders
- Level 5 – Emerging Leaders: Equipping future senior leaders with strategic capability
Marshalls sets the strategic intent and desired behaviours. Instep ensures the programmes reinforce them through practical, contextualised learning.
“Instep have been our partners for 6 years. They helped us tailor the programmes to reflect The Marshalls Way. They’re flexible, learner‑centred and genuinely invested in our outcomes.”
– Simon Pocock
Co‑Creation as a Daily Practice
The partnership works because it reflects the culture Marshalls promotes internally:
- Open communication
- Regular touchpoints
- Honest problem‑solving
- Continuous improvement
- A shared commitment to doing what’s right for learners
This approach ensures the Academy remains relevant, strategic, and human‑centred.
The Impact: Confident, Capable Leaders, Driving the Business Forward
Marshalls’ investment is paying dividends across the business.
Tangible Progression and Capability Growth
- 69 Level 3 completions across Gateway and Essentials
- 40 completions of the Level 5 Emerging Leaders Programme
- 7 Level 3 graduates now in frontline leadership roles
- 7 Level 3 graduates promoted to manager‑of‑managers roles
- 3 Level 5 learners progressing to Levels 6 or 7, targeting senior leadership
Tools such as the Skills Radar provide measurable before‑and‑after capability data, giving Marshalls visibility of growth, readiness, and return on investment.
Learners Building Skills That Matter
Each programme blends behavioural development, applied learning, and real business impact. At Level 5, learners produce a 4,000‑word project aligned to Marshalls’ strategic “Transform & Grow” priorities, delivering genuine operational improvements.
And the stories are powerful:
- Rachel, a Level 3 graduate, progressed into a leadership role and built a high‑performing team using the skills and confidence gained on programme.
She is one of many examples of Marshalls’ talent pipeline strengthening from within.
“The programme is shaping more confident, capable and people‑centred leaders.”
– Simon Pocock
Learners describe the experience as transformative, practical, and directly applicable to their day‑to‑day roles.
A Shared Leadership Language Across the Marshalls Group
One of Marshalls’ biggest achievements is the cultural consistency emerging across sites and business units.
The Leadership Academy has now expanded to Marley Roofing, enabling leaders to:
- Move between businesses with confidence
- Apply a consistent leadership approach
- Align to the same behaviours and expectations
- Strengthen collaboration across the Group
This joined‑up culture is something Marshalls intentionally designed, and apprenticeships have become a powerful mechanism for making it real.
Apprenticeships as a Strategic Talent Engine
The Leadership Academy was just the beginning.
Building on its success, Marshalls has extended apprenticeship-driven development into other critical capability areas:
- Engineering
- Data
- Production
Next to launch:
The Marshalls Sales Academy, further strengthening the organisation’s commercial capability.
“Apprenticeships will remain a core part of how we develop our people to drive Marshalls forward.”
– Simon Pocock
A Partnership Model That Represents “What Good Looks Like”
The relationship with Instep has become a powerful example of strategic, values-aligned collaboration, but from our point of view, one thing is clear: the success belongs to the organisation’s willingness to invest in its people, stay true to its culture, and continually evolve.
“Were I to ever go back into external consulting, this relationship is the one I’d cite as the gold standard of how collaboration and partnership should be done.”
– Simon Pocock
For Marshalls, apprenticeships are a strategic lever for culture, capability, and performance.
Ready to Build a Future‑Ready Leadership Culture Like Marshalls?
Marshalls shows what’s possible when a business puts its people first and chooses apprenticeships as a strategic investment in its future.
If you’re ready to build a leadership pipeline that delivers real business impact, we can help. Book your call here.
