Apprenticeships have changed over the last few years, but essentially it is a genuine job with an accompanying skills development programme. They are often considered to be targeted at those whose are first starting their careers, but this no longer holds true. They are not just for school leavers – it is a great way to kick-start a career or work towards a new role within your existing career.  Check out some of our case studies section to find out what it’s like to be an apprentice at the council.

As an apprentice, you will gain the technical knowledge, practical experience and wider skills you need for your immediate job and future career. This is gained through a wide mix of learning in the workplace e.g. shadowing and working alongside experienced staff, formal off-the-job-training and opportunities to practice new skills in a real work environment.

• Earn while you learn - Gain a qualification while working in a real job
• Receive a recognised qualification - Apprenticeships include professional qualifications alongside your apprenticeship
• Ongoing and personalised support - Work based mentors, managers, assessors and fellow apprentices all offer a support mechanism to achieve your apprenticeship
• Gain real work experience - You can no longer complete an apprenticeship – unless you have a job too – so work experience has to happen
• Develop your skills - Apprenticeship qualifications offer 3 areas of learning – skills, knowledge and behaviours
• Improve employability - When you have an achieved an apprenticeship, employers know you have had to prove the knowledge, skills and behaviours associated with the job
• Have a structured training programme - All apprenticeship programmes follow a structured programme over a given amount of time. Some are day release, some are block release and some are flexible learning. All apprentices must be allowed 20% of the working time for "off job" learning
• Excellent progression opportunities - Apprenticeship qualifications show you have the ability to learn and develop and combine work and learning at the same time

Opportunities are generally offered at the 3 levels of detailed below:

• Intermediate: Level 2 standard which is equivalent to GCSE
• Advanced: Level 3 standard which is equivalent to A Level
• Higher Levels: Level 4 & 5 standard which is equivalent to a Foundation degree or HND

We have on-going opportunities in a both schools and across Council Services and below are an example of some of the apprenticeships we have recruited to over the last few years:

• Business Administration
• Customer Service
• ICT
• Payroll
• Teaching Assistant
• Policy Officer
• Workplace Pensions (Administrator or consultant)
• Learning Mentor
• Regulatory Compliance

The Council offer a very competitive salary and the rates as of April 2023 are detailed in the table below.

Apprentice pay scales 2022-2023

NB: Level 6 Apprenticeships are paid at Level 4 rate in the 1st Year and Level 5 rate in the 2nd year, only the 3rd & 4th years of the course are paid at Level 6 Rate. There will be a yearly pay rise in line with NMW.