National Apprenticeship Week 2021
 |
National Apprenticeship Week 2021 is finally here and Jacky Wilson, Head of Human Resources has a message to all. |
Welcome to National Apprenticeship Week 2021!
Devon County Council is proud to be an apprenticeship employer. We have 144 current apprentices, working in service areas across the Council, from business admin to digital and technology solutions, occupational therapy to accountancy taxation professional. Despite the challenges of 2020, we are pleased that we have been able to continue to develop our apprenticeship offer.
We use apprenticeships for new recruits (known as Step In), which provides us with a pipeline for new entrants into the Council, attracting new talent to our diverse organisation. Many of our Step In apprentices are starting out in their careers, so this also supports future succession planning and we have seen a 20% increase in the employment of people aged 16-24, achieved in part through our strong apprenticeship offer.
Our Next Step apprenticeship programme enables existing staff to undertake apprenticeship qualifications. We offer a range of Next Step apprenticeships, up to Masters level, and this is a key part of our overall learning and development offer, providing nationally recognised qualifications to support workforce development. Many of our Step In apprentices progress onto Next Step opportunities – further evidence of the importance the Council places on learning and development, which also helps us to retain talent.
As a local authority, it is also important that our apprenticeship arrangements support the wider strategic priorities for Devon. Our Step Forward employability programme for care experienced young people is one example of this – we work with young people aged 16-25 to open up apprenticeship and other opportunities within the Council and with other local employers and have seen some fantastic results. Levy transfer (where the Council provides some of its Levy to fund apprenticeships in other organisations) is also a key part of our offer, with adult social care provision and the children’s residential sector being two beneficiaries.
I would like to thank all of our County Councillors, managers and staff, across the Council, who continue to support our apprenticeship arrangements.
Jacky Wilson
Head of HR, Devon County Council
Comments
Post a Comment