Bright future for council graduates and apprentices

The council's newest recruits with Council Leader Alan Taylor and Carol Albison, Programme Co-ordinator

Three graduates and four apprentices have a bright future ahead of them after beating off competition to be offered placements as part of two new recruitment schemes at Rochdale Borough Council. 

The seven new starters beat off competition from 120 other applicants to become the first intake onto the new graduate and apprentice placement programmes - both designed to bring new blood into the organisation.

Each of the new faces will spend the next twelve months learning more about working in the public sector and doing a wide variety of different tasks designed to equip them with the skills they need whilst studying for qualifications.

Council leader Alan Taylor said: "I am delighted to welcome our new recruits to the council. These two new schemes give young people the chance to find highly skilled work and professional jobs in the place where they live. The council can only benefit from the enthusiasm and new ideas that they bring with them."

The new apprentice scheme offers young people aged 16 - 25 the chance to step on the first rung of the council's career ladder. Those taking part will be employed by the council to spend a year working in different services whilst studying for NVQs. At the end of the year they will be well placed to apply for a full time job at the council if they wish to do so.

Meanwhile successful graduates will be developed to become the future managers and leaders of the council. They will spend two years working on projects in a variety of different council services getting to grips with a wide variety of complex agendas and demands.  They will also study for a management qualification at the same time. 

The new apprentices are Hannah Prowse, (Legal and Democratic) Nahur Nur, (People Management) Danny Gengler (Libraries and Information) and Jason Leeming, (Performance and Development) and Luke Stevenson (Contact Centre.)

The new graduates are Simon Ross from Middleton (Facilities Management), Laura Miller (Libraries and Information) and Claire Haigh (Customer Service Strategy.) 

This initiative is part of 'Stepping Up', the councils major transformational change programme, which includes developing and retaining high quality young people.