This week, we were proud to host our first Apprenticeship Graduation Ceremony to celebrate the incredible achievements of 69 colleagues who have undertaken and achieved an apprenticeship qualification with us since January 2022.
The apprentice graduates were invited to the town hall reception rooms to attend a special ceremony, where they were presented with their certificates and acknowledged for their hard work and dedication.
Apprenticeships have been completed in a whole host of areas, ranging from leadership and management to accountancy, social work and construction management. The apprenticeships were supported by several training providers including IODA and Barnsley College and range from level 2 to level 7.
Cllr Caroline Makinson, Deputy Leader of Barnsley Council, who spoke at the ceremony, said: “I was over the moon to be a part of our first Apprenticeship Graduation Celebration and to personally congratulate our colleagues for their hard work, commitment, and dedication.
“Undertaking an apprenticeship, alongside their day-to-day job and other life commitments is no mean feat, so our graduates really deserve this recognition. They’ve shown real determination and resilience along their individual learning journeys but having spoken to a number of the graduates, it was well worth it, which is wonderful to hear.”
Cllr Robert Frost, Cabinet Spokesperson for Core Services, said: “We are fully committed to our learning and development offer as we strive to support our employees' professional development to be the best they can be.
“Our employees are our biggest asset and contribute towards making the council the successful, award-winning organisation it is. It’s therefore so important that they feel supported in their professional and personal development and apprenticeships are an excellent way to do this.
“We are really proud of all our graduates and look forward to watching them continue to flourish in their current or future roles as we work together to make Barnsley the place of possibilities.”
Apprenticeships are not just for school leavers. They are an excellent way for anyone over the age of 16 to learn new knowledge, skills and behaviours in a specific job whilst earning a wage and working alongside experienced colleagues.
Find out more about apprenticeship opportunities at the council on our Jobs webpage.
