Council welcomes its biggest ever intake of apprentices

Alifa Tasmin has just started a customer service apprenticeship with the council

The council’s newest group of apprentices have started work, with 39 talented people joining the ranks as part of the council’s biggest intake to date.

The new intake includes 19 school based apprentices, who are working at a variety of schools across the borough in teaching assistant, office administration and facilities operative roles.

Across the council, apprentices will also be taking up roles in departments across the council, including customer services, highways, ICT, planning, children’s services, adult care and environmental management.

Some of the more unique opportunities include an apprenticeship with the council’s environmental management team to work on the multi-million pound redevelopment project of the Broadfield Slopes behind Rochdale Town Hall.

Over 80 per cent of the new apprentices are from the Rochdale borough, with the remainder coming from neighbouring towns, including Bacup, Oldham and Whitworth. While the majority (around three quarters) of the intake are aged 16 - 24, around a quarter are over 25, showing that this career option is open to everybody.

Ned Chester, who is starting an apprenticeship in facilities services at Castleton Primary School, said: “I am looking forward to starting my apprenticeship with Rochdale Borough Council. This induction week has allowed me to learn more about the organisation and the apprenticeship I will be doing.”

The council’s apprenticeship programme has recruited to over 200 roles over the last five years. The council was has previously been named one of the top 100 apprentice employers in the country, alongside large national employers like HMRC, The British Army, Sainsbury’s and M&S.

Alifa Tasmin, who is starting a customer service apprenticeship with different front facing services, including the library service, said: “I’m really looking forward to meeting new people and my team. I am excited to start this new learning journey and experience different working environments.”

Councillor Rachel Massey, cabinet member for children’s services and education at Rochdale Borough Council, said: “I’m delighted to see so many people starting new careers with us via our fantastic apprenticeship programme. With an average of 89% of our apprentices moving into employment with us, a private sector employer or further education once they’ve completed their apprenticeship, it’s clear that they’re a great opportunity for people who want to kickstart their career and earn while they learn.

“Our apprentices enrich us as much as we enrich them. We recruit from a talented pool of mainly local people and they form an important part of our future workforce, often staying with the council and moving into more senior roles. The fact that we currently have 80 apprentices working with us or in our schools is testament to this. Long may it continue.”