Online event showcasing local government apprenticeships

The Ladder for the Black Country - the apprenticeships scheme supported by the Express & Star - has helped put together the Learn Live event, A Career in Local Government, which is running on Wednesday, August 25, from 10am to 12 noon.

Ladder partners are putting together apprenticeship programmes as part of the initiative, covering Dudley, Sandwell, Walsall and Wolverhampton, aimed at young people making the transition into post-16 education.

The Learn Live event is designed to raise awareness of the various options available through the apprenticeship route to start a career in local government.

The session includes information from different departments across the four boroughs as to what they are looking for in future talent, where to find current vacancies, how to apply, tips on completing applications and attending interviews. Current apprentices will also be explaining the choices they have made to build their futures.

Apprenticeships range from Intermediate Level 2 to Degree Level 7. The session shows how these are used to develop staff to succeed in their career pathways.

To join in go to learnliveuk.com/partner/black-country-local-enterprise-partnership

David Humpage, apprenticeship and placement co-ordinator for Wolverhampton Council, said: “Since 2018 the City of Wolverhampton Council has raised the profile of apprenticeships by increasing the range of opportunities and pathways to higher level apprenticeship qualifications.

"£We have also increased our apprenticeship salary and this has helped to bring new and younger talent into the organisation and offers and real alternative to university."

Helena Baxter, apprenticeship programme lead for Walsall Council, said: "Apprenticeships are good for business, as apprentices can be moulded and shaped in their area of expertise, to deliver the exact skills your business needs.

"Our Learn Live event in August shows the wide variety of apprenticeships available leading to a career within local government – apprentices are the future decision makers, managers and leaders of Walsall Council and continuing to bring apprentices into the business, even in such difficult times, is important to protect our future, whilst ensuring we continue to deliver the vital services our communities depend upon.

"We would urge all employers to continue to recruit, and to benefit from government incentives to ease financial burden, whilst offering exciting and rewarding careers opportunities to apprentices’

Tina Farnell, responsible for talent and development HR at Dudley Council, said the authority places apprenticeships at the heart of the organisation, using apprenticeships as the route into the council for its most junior hires, to the way it invests in the skills and knowledge of its most senior managers.

"Our staff and their managers are committed to ensuring that they and the wider team get the most from their apprenticeship. Working together with our training providers in a transparent, positive way, a true spirit of partnership that seeks to support its learners united in our desire to help all of the council’s apprentices achieve excellence in their programme and progress to the next stage of their career," she added.

For more information about Ladder for the Black Country visit ladderfortheblackcountry.co.uk