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Apprenticeship awards

Published: 10/04/2017

Council trainees with Flintshire Academi who have successfully completed or are working towards their apprenticeships were congratulated in an awards ceremony held recently at Deeside 6th. Each year a number of apprentices are recruited to work across the Council. Currently there are 58 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 two winners of the prestigious Flintshire Trainee of the Year award and Flintshire Foundation Trainee of the year were Alex McLaren and Leah Newton who received their trophies from Flintshire County Council Chief Executive, Colin Everett. The Council’s Flintshire Academi and Coleg Cambria would like to congratulate Alex on reaching stage 2 of the “NICEIC and ELECSA Electrical Apprentice of the Year 2017”. Alex, 20, from Garden City, was in the top 20% of over 400 outstanding entrants at stage 1. Alex said: “Being in the top 20% made me feel really proud and has given me the confidence for the next stage. I was encouraged to enter the competition by my college tutor and decided to give it a go after attending the NICEIC Live Show at Aintree racecourse in November.” Alex, in his second year apprenticeship, will now go through to stage 2 to complete an examination. Sophie Ellis received a one off and very special award – the Helen Stappleton award, presented by Colin Everett. The other finalists were Rebecca Jones, Ryan Varker, Tara O’Boyle and Rachel Pearson. 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 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. “I am particularly pleased to welcome our apprentices from the new Shared Apprentice Scheme (Futureworks Flintshire) to the awards ceremony for the first time. The shared scheme is helping to maximise the creation of skilled local people through apprenticeships, which are needed for the Council’s major housing construction and refurbishment programmes over the next five years. “Congratulations to all our trainees, graduates and award winners and, on behalf of Flintshire Academi and Coleg Cambria, I would like to wish the best of luck to Alex.” The Chief Executive of Coleg Cambria, David Jones OBE, said: We were delighted to host this prestigious event which provided an excellent opportunity to celebrate the hard work and commitment of the apprentices. The apprentice scheme that we deliver in partnership with Flintshire County Council allows people of all ages to gain qualifications whilst building practical skills and experience in the workplace. It is so good to see that the Council has such a positive approach to training and has succeeded in appointing and developing such talented and impressive trainees. The Council is now looking to recruit 33 people to join the 2017 apprentice programme. The microsite is now live and contains information on all placements. To access this information and to apply, visit www.flintshire.gov.uk/trainees. The apprentices with Colin Everett and David Jones