Almost 50 staff working at the Oxfordshire branches of McDonald’s have gained apprenticeships.

The qualification is equivalent to five GCSEs with staff from nine McDonald’s branches in the county trained on the job in areas such as customer service, teamwork and communications.

Darren Pettifer, 19, from Didcot, was among the 49 workers who were successful.

He said: “I had always been interested in learning more about the business and I liked the fact that the scheme allowed me to earn and learn at the same time.

“The programme boosted my confidence and helped me achieve my promotion. I’m now a shift manager and love supporting my team and taking on the extra responsibility.”

Mr Pettifer, who works at the Didcot branch of McDonald’s took two years to qualify for his apprenticeship and is among 4,000 other staff to do so across the country since the scheme was launched in 2009.

Apprentices can continue to train, ultimately studying for a foundation degree in managing business operations for restaurant managers.

Carl Room, who runs four McDonald’s restaurants in Oxford, Botley, Headington and Abingdon said: “The skills staff develop on the apprenticeship programme can help increase their enthusiasm, confidence and professional attitude which is good for them, for business and for our customers.”

Mr Room, who this year spent £12,000 on a dedicated training room at the Headington branch, added: “Ultimately, any business that invests in people now during tougher times will help our economy in the long-term.”