North Ayrshire Council welcomes its latest Modern Apprentices
Posted on 15 Nov 2023
North Ayrshire Council has welcomed its newest recruits as it pledges to continue supporting young people to get their foot on the career ladder.
The Council is now in its 12th year of delivering a successful Modern Apprenticeship programme across Council services, helping hundreds of young people to learn new skills and progress their careers.
Council Leader Marie Burns and Chief Executive Craig Hatton welcomed some of the latest recruits who are working across a diverse range of roles from Administration to Information Technology and from Housing to Health and Social Care.
Councillor Burns said: “It is more important than ever that we support our young people into work.
“The Cost-of-Living Crisis and soaring inflation means we have a duty to ensure we do everything we can to help our young people access valuable pathways into work and training.
“The scheme has been hugely successful over the years with so many success stories of young people kickstarting their careers either with the Council or moving on to develop their careers elsewhere.”
Mr Hatton said: “We’re hugely proud of our apprenticeship scheme and how many young people it has supported.
“But its success is down to the hard work of the apprentices themselves who have proven time and again the value of the programme.
Mr Hatton told the modern apprentices: “The work we deliver at North Ayrshire Council makes a positive difference to lives of thousands of people every single day and you are playing your part.
“I’m delighted that you are here, beginning your working life with the Council, and I really hope you grasp this opportunity to learn new skills, gain vital experience and also enjoy yourself while doing so.”
Councillor Tony Gurney, Cabinet Member for Green Environment and Economy, said: “We know from experience that the skills our apprentices develop and qualifications they gain during their time with us provide a solid foundation on which they can build a bright future.
“Our modern apprenticeship has helped hundreds of young people on their journey into the world of work and I wish our new recruits every success.”
The Council has been running the scheme for more than a decade, supporting hundreds of modern apprentices get their career off to a flying start. Earlier this year, Cabinet approved an enhanced modern apprentice programme, which will support around 70 apprentices annually over the next three years.
This will include a mix of Modern Apprenticeships, Graduate Apprenticeships and Foundation Apprenticeships, working across a range of different council services.
Modern Apprenticeships offer the potential to support workforce development across a range of services including payroll, hospitality, management, digital, facilities, housing, IT, procurement and social services and the programme would be developed in partnership with Ayrshire College.
Graduate Apprenticeships also offer the potential to support workforce development and will be developed in partnership with the University of the West of Scotland (UWS) as a pilot and will focus on the following qualifications as options for employees - BA (Hons) Business Management, BEng (Hons) Civil Engineering, BA Early Learning & Childcare, BEng (Hons) Engineering Design & Manufacture, BSc (Hons) IT: Software Development.
Foundation Apprenticeships for school pupils will be explored and developed in partnership with our Education service, Ayrshire College and local employers.