Stoke-on-Trent City Council beats apprenticeship target

Stoke-on-Trent City Council beats apprenticeship target

200 people are learning on the job while working at Stoke-on-Trent City Council.

They are studying for apprenticeships alongside their roles across the council.

The council set itself a target of encouraging 100 new people to start apprentice qualifications by the end of 2023/24.

Recently published data showed that the target was beat and 106 people had started learning while working at the end of this period. 

It means the council has 200 people studying in roles as varied as social work, customer services, digital marketing, and arboriculture.

Councillor Jane Ashworth, leader of Stoke-on-Trent City Council, said: “It’s fantastic to be an employer who invests so much in the future skills of workers in the city. 

“Apprenticeships are a vital part of the jobs mix. They’re able to learn through their course and bring their new skills into our services. It’s a win-win situation for us and them.

“Thanks to the support of our staff, they can apply the lessons they learn on their course in their practical day-to-day work with our teams.”

The city council has built strong relationships with external organisations for the training including Stoke-on-Trent College, Newcastle-under-Lyme College, Staffordshire University, Keele University and Total People.

The data for 2023/24 includes new apprentices starting with the council and staff already in jobs and studying for apprenticeships. 

The range of qualifications each of the 106 people are working towards includes:

·        19 people at Level 2 (GCSE equivalent)

·        29 at Level 3 (A-level equivalent)

·        58 at Levels 4, 5, 6 or 7 (degree-level equivalent or above)

The council has had over 60 people ask for information about studying for an apprenticeship in 2024/25.

This comes as an apprentice from Unitas Stoke-on-Trent was named Apprentice of the Year at the Staffordshire University Business Awards last week. Nathan Heron, an apprentice gas engineer, began his apprenticeship at Stoke-on-Trent College in 2020 and is now in his final year. He has been called a credit to the company and praised for his integrity and professionalism.