Council sets ambitious apprenticeship target
Hackney Council is helping to set the standard for apprenticeship recruitment across the capital with an ambitious drive to have 100 apprentices working at the Council by 2019.
This week sees the launch of Hackney Council’s new programme called Hackney: Apprentices which will see 100 apprentices working across a host of Council services by 2018/19.
This target matches a national apprenticeship agenda which will see the launch of an Apprenticeship Levy in April 2017, to ensure large employers invest in apprenticeships, and a host of other reforms affecting apprenticeship qualifications and how they are funded.
Over the coming months, the Council will be offering apprenticeships at Levels 2, 3 and 4, in areas including: Business and Administration, Youth Work, Customer Services, ICT, Housing and Environmental Services. More services will be added during the course of the programme.
Hackney: Apprentices is open to 16-24 year olds who live in the borough, have been educated in Hackney and care leavers.
All Council apprentices aged over 18 will be paid around £19,000 per year, which is above London Living Wage, and well above the average apprenticeship salary which is around £13,000 per year.
Council apprentices will be given; accredited training from a high-quality provider, a package of support including mentoring and social activities, and support to progress into a permanent job or a higher apprenticeship qualification.
The Council will also be supporting businesses and other employers in the borough to create high quality apprenticeships, and will work closely with other public sector employers to support their own apprenticeship programmes.
I want Hackney to be more ambitious about what we can do to support local people to succeed. We are committed to creating more employment and training opportunities for local people in the borough, helping to ensure that they have the skills, experience and qualifications to flourish not only here in Hackney, but across London, the UK or wherever their ambition, determination and career takes them.
With the launch of our new programme, we are leading the way with our drive to employ 100 apprentices who will be working as part the Council. We want businesses, big and small, to follow our example and give a young person a career kick-start, help them to gain qualifications while they earn a fair wage. The Council will work with businesses if they need support to take on an apprentice and we will provide advice and guidance to other organisations wanting to support our young people with employment and training.
With the Council’s Apprenticeship Programme, we are helping to show that there are many options for young people to acquire the skills and training they need to succeed in their chosen career. Apprenticeships can open up a host of options while also providing the opportunity to gain a qualification, receive a wage and help to gain the necessary experience for the next step up. The Council has already employed a number of apprentices who have completed their qualifications and are now employed with the Council - a fantastic outcome for local people who are making a difference to lives of residents every day. I would encourage local people to find out more about what an apprenticeship can offer them, whether here at the Council or with a Hackney business.
I felt pressured into going to University. I went for a year but I had to drop out because I felt that a formal sort of education wasn’t for me. I moved back to Hackney and found an apprenticeship role with the Council, working with young people. I feel really comfortable in the apprenticeship because I’m gaining qualifications at the same time as working in a paid job which really suits my skills and interests.
An apprenticeship is a full time work-based learning programme that combines accredited learning with paid work for one year or longer and can be of varying levels. Apprentices must dedicate around 20% of their time to off-the-job training or learning.
If a resident is unsuccessful in gaining an apprenticeship position, the Council will provide support to help with alternative employment or training.
For more information about Hackney: Apprentices, visit the webpage or send the Council an email to register your interest.
The launch of the Hackney: Apprentices programme coincides with National Apprenticeship Week. For more information, visit the website or join the conversion on social media using the hashtag: #NAW2017