Council honours residents who completed employment Traineeship Programme
14 trainees who successfully graduated from the 2020 Hackney Traineeship Programme were honoured in an online ceremony last week.
The Traineeship Programme, which builds on the success of the council’s apprenticeship and Hackney 100 programmes, offers residents paid work placements with the council and local businesses alongside English, maths and employability training.
The Mayor of Hackney Philip Glanville and Cabinet Member for Employment, Skills and Human Resources, Councillor Carole Williams presented graduates with certificates and awards at the ceremony held on Tuesday 24 November.
Graduates, local employers, council officers, training providers, family and friends also attended the ceremony to celebrate the achievements and commitment of the trainees who completed their training and work placements, all whilst working remotely and facing the challenges presented by the pandemic.
I am hugely proud of the way our council has responded to this crisis, but I am also proud of the resilience shown by the trainees themselves. The impact of Covid-19 has been very difficult for all of us and our experiences and challenges vary hugely.
Our trainees have shown a lot of determination and motivation to stay engaged with the programme, to complete their maths and English studies and in some cases to even take on additional training. You have all excelled and should be very proud of yourselves, including those who have already found permanent work.
In total, trainees completed over 1,300 hours of paid work experience, and six have now progressed into jobs or apprenticeships. Eleven trainees completed qualifications in English and Maths.
Cllr Williams, recognised and thanked the commitment of local businesses.
I want to thank you for your ongoing commitment to work with the council to support our employment programmes. I’m very proud of our partners and it’s fantastic to hear of the achievements of the trainees with our local businesses.
The 2020 programme focused on residents over the age of 25, and in particular those with childcare responsibilities, and learners of English as a second language.
Magdalene Enow, who secured an apprenticeship with the council after completing the course said: “I have learnt so much on this programme and I’m so happy to have passed my maths and English level two qualification. As a mother of three the lockdown has been challenging as it was difficult to balance learning and parenting, but the team was so supportive and helped me through it.
“The training scheme helped me to get the apprenticeship role at Hackney Council. I was able to learn so many new skills which helped in my interview.”
To find out more about placements and how to apply please visit: https://opportunities.hackney.gov.uk/placements/