We’re delighted to be supporting the 16th National Apprenticeship Week (NAW), which is a week dedicated to the celebration of apprentices. It’s an opportunity to promote the positive impact that apprenticeships can have – for the apprentice and their future, their employer, and the wider economy.
This year’s theme for NAW is ‘skills for life’ which reflects how apprenticeships can help individuals develop the skills and knowledge required for a rewarding career and fulfilling future. Providing apprenticeship opportunities also helps businesses to develop talented employees with the skill set needed for the role or to take on new opportunities.
We are incredibly proud and lucky to currently have around 170 ongoing apprentices across the council, encompassing an impressive 41 different apprenticeship programmes, from level two to level seven, taking between one and five years to complete. This also includes degree level apprenticeships, which is an amazing opportunity for our staff to develop without incurring the costs of going to university. Ongoing apprenticeship programmes range from roles in finance, customer services and marketing, to horticulture and digital services.
As an organisation who embraces apprenticeships – whether that be for existing employees or specific apprenticeship roles, we will be taking the opportunity during NAW to showcase a variety of our apprentices on our social media pages to share inspirational stories and real-life testimonials. We will also be addressing some of the common myths around apprenticeships, as well as offering ongoing support to both managers and employees from our apprenticeship team within Organisation Development.
Here's a taster of some of the testimonials we’ve received from our apprentices:
Accountancy and Taxation Professional L7
“An apprenticeship is a fantastic way of learning new skills and developing existing skills in a work environment, whilst gaining invaluable work experience along the way.”
Business Administration Level 3
“One of the skills I have developed is in managing both internal and external stakeholders. With people being such a large part in any organisation I feel it is one of the most important skills to learn.”
Operations/Departmental Manager L5
“One of the most important things that the apprenticeship helped me develop was my interpersonal skills. When I first joined the council, I didn’t have much confidence to speak to different people, but through exposure to this at work I feel much more comfortable now.”
Cllr Franklin, Cabinet Spokesperson for Core Services, said: “I am delighted to see that we are supporting National Apprenticeship Week again this year - it is heartening to hear such positive testimonials which reflect what apprenticeships are all about.”
“I am very proud of our apprenticeship programme and the many apprentices at the council – past and present. It really is a fantastic opportunity to achieve a qualification whilst gaining on-the-job skills and in many cases provides a real gateway to employment and lifelong learning – for young and adult learners. It’s also a great opportunity for existing employees to progress and develop in their careers.”
“We want everyone in Barnsley to be the best they can be and fulfil their full potential. Apprenticeships go a long way in fulfilling this ambition and I’d urge other local businesses and organisations to provide apprenticeship opportunities across the borough.”
Follow our social media NAW2023 campaign and hear more from our inspirational apprentices at Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
If you would like to find out more about apprenticeships or be kept up to date with opportunities and apprenticeship roles available, please visit the apprenticeship webpage.
#NAW2023
