County council in top 100 apprenticeships list
WARWICKSHIRE County Council has been named among the top 100 apprenticeship employers in the country.
The list, published in the Sunday Telegraph, celebrates the best apprenticeship employers across the UK, and the county council was among ten selected from the West Midlands.
Since September 2012, the council has recruited 142 apprentices. Of those that have now completed their apprenticeships, 70 per cent have been retained within the council and a further 23 per cent have gone into employment elsewhere or gone on to study further at university.
Currently there are 62 young people on apprenticeships within the county council.
Meanwhile, since September 2013, the council’s Apprenticeship Hub has engaged with 382 businesses regarding apprenticeships, leading to the recruitment of 245 apprentices.
Warwickshire is one of only three local authorities, along with Southwark Council and Plymouth City Council, to win a place in the coveted Top 100 alongside businesses including Unilever, JP Morgan, Mercedes Benz and Siemens.
Dan Nash, Apprentice Hub manager, said: “The council's apprenticeship scheme has been a great success for the council and brought a wealth of fresh new talent into the authority.
“It’s brilliant that we can offer such a diverse range of apprenticeship opportunities across our service areas, from accountancy to forestry, highway engineering to social care and customer service to vehicle maintenance.
“We are extremely proud to be recognised as one of the top 100, as we have always sought to ensure that each apprentice is given all the support they need to succeed in their role and then continue their career with us or elsewhere.
“However the scheme would not be recognised without the efforts and energy of the apprentices themselves. They are the stars and the benefits they have brought to Warwickshire County Council have been amazing.”
Warwickshire County Council leader and portfolio holder for economic growth, Cllr Izzi Seccombe, added: “At the council we want to give young people in the county the best possible career pathways."
