Latest News

Trainees celebrate successes and encourage new trainees to sign up

Published: 13/05/2015

A number of Flintshire County Council employees who successfully completed their trainee programme have been congratulated recently in an awards ceremony at Coleg Cambria. Four were selected as finalists: Hannah Bibby, Jamielee Thomas, Ciaran Allman and Jamie Featherstone. The winners were announced as Hannah Bibby – Higher Level Trainee of the Year, and Jamielee Thomas – Trainee of the Year. Each year a number of apprentices are recruited to work in departments across the Council, with opportunities including Administration, ICT, Accountancy, Environmental Conservation, Engineering, Catering, Horticulture, Beauty, Countryside Management, and various trade disciplines. The apprentices usually attend Coleg Cambria on a day release basis over two to three years whilst receiving training and assessment in the workplace. Flintshire County Council is currently offering 30 trainee placements for a variety of jobs within the organisation. The apprenticeship scheme offers different types of training including Flintshire trainees for school leavers or returners who have 5 GCSE’s A*-C including Maths and English; higher level trainees for those who are thinking about university or the workplace and Flintshire graduates for those wanting to enter the workplace after university and obtain professional qualifications. Colin Everett, Chief Executive of Flintshire County Council, said: “I would like to congratulate all our trainees on completing their courses. We have an excellent success rate, with 96% of our trainees gaining employment either within the Council or externally, and four percent move on to University or professional training. This is a fantastic way of gaining industry-recognised qualifications whilst receiving on the job training and hands on experience.” Councillor Aaron Shotton, Leader of the Council, said: “At Flintshire County Council we are very proud of our Trainee Programme, which shows our commitment to offering training and apprenticeships, to help people of all ages to access employment opportunities. Our partnership with Coleg Cambria is recognised by neighbouring Councils and Further Education providers for its best practice. I would encourage anyone who is interested in our trainee programme to take a look at our website www.trainees-flintshire.co.uk and find out about the placements on offer.” Coleg Cambria Principal, David Jones, who also presented the certificates, added: Flintshire County Council is clearly a sector leader when it comes to its commitment to apprentices and young people - this approach matches the very best practice in the private sector.  We are delighted to work with them in partnership. Images 1885: Pictured left to right: Colin Everett, Chief Executive; Jamie Featherstone, Jamielee Thomas, Hannah Bibby, Ciaran Allman; Leader of the Council, Cllr Aaron Shotton. 1908: Pictured with the trainees are Chief Executive, Colin Everett; Leader of the Council, Cllr Aaron Shotton and Coleg Cambria Principal, David Jones.