Welcome to the Wirral Apprentice
An innovative new programme from the Council aims to support local businesses during the credit crunch, while at the same time stimulating the local jobs market.
The Wirral Apprentice programme is now up and running, and will fund 100 new Apprentice positions in local companies for a period of 18 months.
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Funding for a further 50 apprenticeship places has been approved by Wirral Council's Cabinet.
Following the first highly successful roll out of ‘The Wirral Apprentice’, Wirral Council has developed a second wave of this programme that aims to stimulate the supply of 50 Apprenticeship opportunities available to Wirral young people aged 16-18 who are not engaged in employment or formal training (NEET), especially those from disadvantaged groups and areas.
To register your interest in the second phase of The Wirral Apprentice click here
As well as securing training from the Learning and Skills Council, in whatever Apprenticeship qualification is most relevant to your business, for the first 18 months of a two year contract, the Council will pay the Apprentices’ salary.
The Learning & Skills Council fully fund the training costs for 16-18 year old Apprentices and part fund the training costs for those 19+.
Apprenticeships - What do I need to know?
An Apprenticeship is a work-based training programme designed around the needs of employers, which leads to recognised qualifications. Apprenticeships have been developed by a wide range of industry sectors and are available with different types of employers from large national companies such as British Gas, BMW and Orange to smaller local companies such as Wirral Partnership Homes. There are now over 180 career choices in 80 different industry sectors. More information can be found at www.apprenticeships.org.uk
What does the training involve?
All Apprenticeships include the following elements:
· An appropriate work-based qualification such as a National Vocational Qualification (NVQ) at either Level 2 or Level 3;
· Key Skills qualifications, e.g. working in teams, problem-solving, communication and using new technology;
· A technical qualification that is relevant to the specific Apprenticeship;
· Other qualifications or requirements as specified by the particular occupation.
What are my responsibilities as an employer?
· To offer your opportunity to a Wirral young person aged 16-18 who is currently not engaged in employment education or training (NEET);
· To provide a safe, healthy working environment for the Apprentice to work in;
· To allow up to one day a week release time for ‘off the job’ training with a training provider;
· To provide relevant ‘on the job’ support and to work with Wirral Council and other partners if your Apprentice requires additional or specialist support;
· To commit to paying the wages of the Apprentice for a minimum of 6 months after the 18 months wage subsidy;
· To demonstrate a commitment to finding a permanent position at the end of the Apprenticeship.
What are Wirral Council’s responsibilities?
· To pay the Apprentice wage at a rate of £4.83 per hour for a maximum of 40 hours per week, for a maximum of 18 months;
· To provide a named support officer throughout the lifetime of the programme to ensure satisfaction with progress;
· To facilitate the process of selecting an appropriate training provider for the apprenticeship ‘off the job’ training.
What do I need to do now?
If you’re interested please complete the Expression of Interest form and return to Melanie Campbell – melaniecampbell@wirral.gov.uk or Louise Evans – louiseevans@wirral.gov.uk or to the Professional Excellence Centre, Bromborough, Wirral CH62 7BZ by 22nd January 2010.
Please keep visiting www.investwirral.com to find out how the companies and apprentices get along in the coming months.
