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Success for Flintshire apprentices

Published: 17/05/2016

Council trainees who have successfully completed or are working towards their apprenticeships were congratulated in an awards ceremony held recently at Coleg Cambria. Flintshire County Council has a long established trainee programme and 2016 is its 20th anniversary. Each year a number of apprentices are recruited to work across the Council. Currently there are 57 trainees in placements across the organisation. The apprentices usually attend Coleg Cambria on a day release basis over two to three years whilst receiving training and assessment in the workplace. The winner of the prestigious Flintshire Trainee of the Year award is Madeleine Henri-Joy who received her trophy from the Principal and Chief Executive of Coleg Cambria, David Jones. Philip Southern was named Higher Level Trainee of the Year and was presented his trophy by Colin Everett. The other two finalists were Nicole Askey and Mari Edwards. Leader of the Council, Councillor Aaron Shotton, said: “The development and creation of apprenticeships is a key priority for the Council and the awards ceremony is a great way to celebrate the success of those currently on the scheme. The programme has evolved and grown over the years and it now offers a full programme of apprentice opportunities including administration, ICT, accountancy, environmental conservation, engineering, catering, leisure, countryside management and various trade disciplines.” Chief Executive Colin Everett said: “We are very proud of our Flintshire apprentice scheme which is recognised by neighbouring authorities and further education providers as best practice with our partnership with Coleg Cambria. We will continue to provide opportunities for apprentices to study and at the same time gain valuable, practical experience in the workplace. We have an excellent success rate with 98% of trainees gaining employment either within the Council or externally and some moving onto University to continue their studies. “Congratulations to all our trainees, graduates and award winners. This is a fitting way to applaud 20 years of this fantastic programme.” David Jones said: I was delighted to present the Trainee of the Year Award as the apprentices involved were a real inspiration, their hard work and commitment to both their work and their education was really commendable. It is so good to see that Flintshire County Council has such a positive approach to training and has succeeded in appointing and developing such talented and impressive trainees. A Higher Level Scheme has also been introduced and this year saw the introduction of a graduate trainee scheme - recruiting 3 post graduates to gain professional qualifications. The Council is now looking to recruit 20 people to join the 2016 apprentice programme. The microsite is now live and contains information on all 20 placements. To access this information and to apply, visit www.flintshire.gov.uk/trainees.