Bristol City Council is offering 30 new apprenticeships as part of the Backing Young Bristol campaign. Vacancies on offer cover training in business administration, adult social care, highways and traffic technical support and customer service. Applications can be made on the council jobs website at www.jobs.bristol.gov.uk before February 3 and placements will start in mid-April. Placements run for 22 months and include NVQ training to support work experience gained.
Each young person will typically be required to attend college one day a week to study for a relevant qualification with a local training provider. Apprentices are employed on a full time basis, working alongside council employees and gaining first-hand practical experience of the industry.
Some 71 apprentices have now completed the council’s apprenticeship programme. Of these, 47 have progressed to jobs with various organisations before the end of their contract, including 41 who have secured full-time work with the city council.
Council leader Barbara Janke, said: “National figures show that unemployment has hit young people particularly hard. Continuing with our apprenticeship scheme is therefore crucial to help a new generation of young people develop the skills and experience they need to continue in the workplace.”
Nella Stokes, Vice Principal at City of Bristol College, said: "Current unemployment rates among young people are worryingly high, so the Bristol Partnership is seeking to reduce the figures on a local level. Offering apprenticeships is an important way of supporting the training and employability of young people.”
Russell Darling, operations manager at Bristol City Council, who has given seven young people an apprenticeship opportunity since the programme began, said: “The apprentices have a fantastic impact on service delivery. To offer them the chance to develop skills and improve their employability is great. From my point of view our apprentices have been really excellent.”
