Christmas opening times

Find out more about what services are available over the Christmas period including bin collections and the opening times of tips, leisure centres and other facilities.

Christmas opening times

Become an apprentice

We offer apprenticeship opportunities to new employees to the council and also to existing employees such as those who are mid-career who wish to develop their skills and knowledge.

Apprenticeships are available for applicants of any age group and across a range of roles and services in the council. They can be a fantastic way to gain new knowledge, skills and behaviours as well as for the council to recruit and retain staff and to develop its workforce for the future.

The majority of our apprentices are existing employees who are upskilling and developing their careers. This potential opportunity is open to all members of staff and is negotiated and agreed between individual employees and their managers as part of the city council’s ‘P.L.A.N’ process with support from the Workforce Development Team and Apprenticeship Hub Team.

Apprenticeships for existing staff are available across a range of roles and services and the full range of levels – from Level 2 (GCSE equivalent) to Level 7 (post-graduate). The council uses a variety of apprenticeship training providers including local universities, colleges and independent organisations as well as regional and national providers and funds the costs by utilising the council’s apprenticeship levy. The emphasis and focus of apprenticeships is on learning in the workplace, combining off-the-job training (on-line, in person or a blend of the two) and in-work learning opportunities with support from managers, mentors and the wider team.

We also recruit a smaller number of apprentices as new employees to the council especially school and college leavers with no or limited work experience. These are advertised all year round as and when opportunities arise in different departments of the council including Unitas.

These opportunities include:

  • office work and business administration;
  • children's social care and adult social care;
  • human resources and staff training;
  • sports and leisure;
  • working in our parks and outdoor locations;
  • customer service;
  • roads and transport

Apprenticeships for new employees to the council generally include:

  • minimum 12-month contracts and working 37 hours per week;
  • from £100 per week dependent on age (based on age-related national minimum apprentice wage rates or national minimum/living wage);
  • 27 days' holiday plus eight bank holidays per year;
  • chance to learn from experienced staff;
  • support from experienced mentors.

Apprenticeships for new employees to the council are advertised in the same way that all council job vacancies are advertised and will also appear on the national apprenticeship vacancy website (www.gov.uk/apply-apprenticeship).

Successful applicants need to be aged 16 by the time they start an apprenticeship and no longer be in full-time education. Many apprentices progress from completion of their apprenticeships into temporary or permanent full time roles in the council or into roles with other organisations in the city. Apprenticeships for new entrants are open to people of all ages.

Search for apprenticeships at the city council