Actions speak louder than words, says Council Leader Richard Farnell

Apprentice's with Councillor Richard Farnell

They say actions speak louder than words. If that's the case Rochdale Borough Council is screaming from the rooftops about its firm commitment to the borough's apprentices.

I doubt you would find anyone who would disagree with the need for more apprenticeship schemes and incentives, but transferring rhetoric into demonstrable action is something else.

That's why I'm particularly proud of the fact that our promise to award apprentices £1,000 to take up higher level courses has seen 2,660 over 12 months created: the highest increase in Greater Manchester.

Only five Greater Manchester local authorities recorded a growth in figures between August 2015 and July 2016, with Rochdale's new apprentices increasing by 1.1% to 2,660: the Greater Manchester average is 0.4%.

Last year Rochdale saw the largest percentage increase in apprenticeship starts in Greater Manchester at over 20%, and despite extremely challenging national conditions we have continued to show excellent comparative growth.

Apprenticeships will be further boosted by the regeneration of Rochdale's town centre this year, which takes a major step forward with the start of the Rochdale Riverside scheme, bringing in 1,000 permanent jobs to the area.

One such group hoping to get a foothold on the working ladder is the latest recruits to enlist the support of Rochdale Training Association. I paid them a visit recently to present some apprentices with awards for their achievements.

Not only were they enthusiastic about the training they were doing, they had a clear understanding of their career progression and how to achieve it.

Learning while earning is the mantra I heard time and time again and something I hope to hear many times more as we continue on our quest to support our youngsters become the backbone of Rochdale's economy for years to come.​

Councillor Richard Farnell
Leader
Rochdale Borough Council