Council continues its strong support for apprentices during National Apprenticeship Week

East Riding of Yorkshire Council will proudly support National Apprenticeship Week with an engaging series of online Q&As, success stories and expert advice, as it continues to strongly build futures for its vast number of apprentices, despite the past challenging year for everyone.

From Monday, 8 February to Sunday, 14 February, National Apprenticeship Week celebrates the positive effects apprenticeships have on communities, businesses close to home and local economies.

The council will showcase inspiring apprenticeship stories it has to share and encourage new learners to speak ‘virtually’ to its trained staff about them.

With its apprenticeship levy, the council has paid for apprenticeship qualifications for both new and existing staff, recognising that studying for an apprenticeship is a fantastic opportunity to develop skills and knowledge for individuals in the workplace, gaining a nationally recognised qualification in the process.

The qualifications it offers range widely in subjects and levels, from entry level 2 (equivalent to GCSE at A* to C or 9 to 4 on new scales), right up to level 7 (Masters).

Anna Bennett, senior organisational development officer managing the levy account at East Riding of Yorkshire Council, said: “We recognise the changes seen in recent years with apprenticeships and want people of all ages to know that they can undertake them here in the East Riding.  

“At the council, they are also available to existing staff wishing to gain formal recognition for the skills and knowledge they demonstrate in their daily roles.

“In response to the pandemic, training providers have really helped us deliver the training virtually. This suits many of our staff and has opened up fantastic opportunities that may not have been taken up before.”

Some of the council’s apprenticeship success stories of the past year include Mia Coates, who secured a business technician post after joining the authority in 2019 as an apprentice.

Mia said: “I am very proud of completing the apprenticeship during the pandemic. At times, nothing was 100% guaranteed so to push through, achieve a distinction and then be offered a job at the end was an amazing achievement. 

“I would advise anyone to do an apprenticeship. I was constantly supported and was offered all the same opportunities as the wider team – definitely the right choice for me.”

Rob Warner joined the council in 2018 having previously started his L5 Operation/Departmental apprenticeship with another employer. The authority supported him to continue this apprenticeship, completing with a distinction, and he is now on the L6 Chartered Manager degree fast-track programme. 

Rob said: “I am proud to have completed the level 5 and implement the learning in my day- to-day role. After leaving school and joining the forces, I didn’t have the opportunity to go to university but following the apprenticeship route has allowed me to access the degree.

“Apprenticeships are for all ages and levels of experience, and having a qualification and certificate to evidence the job you are doing really helps your personal development.”

Councillor Lyn Healing, portfolio holder for community involvement and council corporate services at East Riding of Yorkshire Council, added: “We are more than proud to have nearly 300 learners across the council and schools undertaking an apprenticeship. This is more than we have ever had and we hope numbers continue to grow, especially as we have the funding available to support training for more new apprentices and our existing existing staff.

“Over the past 12 months, a number of staff have achieved nationally recognised qualifications while carrying out their day jobs. This is a testament to their commitment and desire to strengthen their skills and knowledge, and it is also a fantastic achievement in what has been a very difficult year for everyone.”

To find out more about the apprenticeships at the council, please either follow @eastridingjobs at https://www.facebook.com/eastridingjobs or email the apprenticeship team at erycapprenticeshipservice@eastriding.gov.uk

Please also follow the hashtags #NAW2021, #IAmEastRiding, #AskAnEmployer and #BuildTheFuture on the council’s social media channels to get the best out of National Apprenticeship Week.