National Apprenticeship Week: 2021 sees 14 new apprentices start at Rochdale Borough Council

Whilst the Covid-19 pandemic has had a national impact with apprenticeship starts down across the whole country, in the borough of Rochdale, 14 new apprentices have started their training at Rochdale Borough Council since the start of 2021.

Since the start of the pandemic in March 2020, 32 new apprentices have started with the council and schools.

The apprentices to have started this year are:

• Joshua Ennis is doing a level 3 business administrator apprenticeship in the chief executive’s office
• Matthew Hargreaves and Michael Pomroy are both doing a level 2 horticulture and landscape apprenticeship in the council’s environmental management service
• Jess Powell is doing a level 3 payroll apprenticeship with the council’s HR department
• Amie Pearson is doing a level 3 business administrator apprenticeship at Parkfield Primary School
• Ansar Bibi is doing level 2 customer service apprenticeship in the council’s children’s centres
• Chloe Smith and Ramat Ikram are doing a level 3 teaching assistant apprenticeship with Meanwood Primary School
• Evan Brigham is doing a level 3 business administrator apprenticeship in the council’s skills and employment team
• Mohammed Alom is doing a level 2 customer service apprenticeship in the council’s skills and employment team
• Ellen Shepherd is doing a level 3 business administrator apprentice at Heybrook Primary School
• Samantha Stott is doing a level 3 teaching assistant apprenticeship at St Mary’s Primary school
• Robert McLean is doing a level 3 business administrator apprenticeship in the council’s revenues and benefits team
• Hussain Ibrahim is doing a  level 3  business administrator apprenticeship in the council’s legal services

Speaking on her first day in the role, Samantha Stott, teaching assistant apprenticeship at St Mary’s Primary, said: “I’m excited to get started in my apprenticeship and support the children of Rochdale during this challenging time.”

Councillor Kieran Heakin, cabinet member for getting a good start, said: “We feel our programme offers a high quality opportunity for apprentices to join our workforce and start what will hopefully be a long and successful career journey with us, and this has been recognised through various awards and recognition over the years.

“I’m always delighted to see new recruits and to have continued to offer opportunities to new apprentices during a challenging time really shows how committed we are to them as our future workforce.

“We currently have 115 people on apprenticeship programmes, this is testament to the dedication of our workforce in seeing the value in these opportunities.”  

Since the introduction of the apprenticeship levy in April 2017, close to 400 people have been on an apprenticeship programme with the council either as a new starter or via a continuous professional development (CPD) opportunity.

In October last year, the council was named in the Top 100 employers list for apprenticeships, placing it in the rankings with large national employers like HMRC, The British Army, Sainsbury’s and M&S.
 

Read more: Rochdale Council named one of the top 100 apprenticeship employers in the countryPublished: 01 November 2020

The council has also managed to achieve the rare achievement of all school settings across the borough having either recruited an apprentice or placed existing staff on an apprenticeship for CPD, something that has seen the council recognised in the House of Commons and invited to speak at national events about how employers can achieve this.

Councillor Heakin continued: “We have a great partnership ethos across our apprenticeship programme from training providers to our schools. I’m delighted at what we have to offer and many of our apprentices are working hard on the frontline of our Covid-19 response across a variety of council service and our schools. They often speak of their pride at this, and rightly so.”

As well as providing the initial opportunity, 85% of apprentices go on to secure a job with the council, another employer or start a university course.