Celebrating the council’s amazing apprentices
Shropshire Council has been celebrating the successes and achievements of its apprentices this week as part of National Apprenticeship Week 2022 (Monday 7 February until Sunday 13 February 2022).
The council has 224 apprentices, who are currently developing their skills on the job, in the council and in its maintained schools.
To mark their achievements and contribution to the workplace, the council held an Apprenticeship Awards ceremony yesterday (Wednesday 9 February 2022) at Shrewsbury Town FC’s stadium, which over 70 staff and training providers attended.
Part of the event included an awards ceremony where category winners were announced:-
Apprentice of the Year Award, sponsored by Barnsley College: Claire Morgan, a Shropshire Council ICT Business Partner, undertaking a Level 7 Digital and Technology Solutions Specialist Apprenticeship with Manchester Metropolitan University.
(L-R) Apprentice of the Year Award Winner:-
Claire Morgan, a Shropshire Council ICT Business Partner; Karen Roberts, from an awards sponsor Barnsley College; and Andy Begley, Shropshire Council’s chief executive.
Rising Star Award, sponsored by Total People: Rachael Harrison, a Shropshire Council data officer, undertaking a Level 4 Data Analyst Apprenticeship with Barnsley College.
(L-R) Rising Star Award Winner:-
Rachael Harrison, a Shropshire Council data officer; Jane Evison. from an award sponsor Total People; and Andy Begley, Shropshire Council’s chief executive.
Most Supportive Line Manager (nominated by apprentices and training provider), sponsored by IRRV: Stephen Humphrey, Shropshire Council’s senior business analyst, supporting a team of Level 4 Business Analyst Apprentices and undertaking a Level 5 Improvement Specialist Apprenticeship with Skills Training UK.
(L-R) Most Supportive Line Manager Award Winner:
Stephen Humphrey, Shropshire Council’s senior business analyst; and Andy Begley, Shropshire Council’s chief executive.
Most Committed Apprentice, sponsored by the University of Chester: Livvy Brechunec, teaching assistant at Oxon Primary School, Shrewsbury, undertaking a Level 3 Teaching Assistant Apprenticeship.
(L-R) Most Committed Apprentice Award Winner:-
Livvy Brechunec, teaching assistant at Oxon Primary School, Shrewsbury; and Andy Begley, Shropshire Council’s chief executive.
Director’s Choice, sponsored by the University of Wolverhampton: : Leela Cottey, Strategic Asset Manager, undertaking a Level 7 Senior Leader Degree Apprenticeship with University of Wolverhampton.
As an Apprenticeship Levy-paying employer, the council and its schools use apprenticeships as a key route of development for staff. The criteria of each award category focused on the commitment, contribution and potential for future success for each nominee. The awards were sponsored by Barnsley College, University of Wolverhampton and Skills Training UK, providing a prize for each of the winners.
Photo includes award winners, training provider sponsors, and highly commended apprentices.
(Back row L-R) Liz Entwistle, Shropshire Council’s revenues and benefits team; Calum O’Sullivan, University of Wolverhampton; Kate MacDonald, from Shropshire Council’s Upskill Shropshire; Karen Roberts, Barnsley College; Jane Evison, Total People; Andy Begley, Shropshire Council’s chief executive; Holly Davies, Shropshire Council’s 16+ leaving care team; Siobhan Shaw, Shropshire Council’s Shropshire Libraries.
Front Row (L-R) Stephen Humphrey, Shropshire Council’s senior business analyst; Rachael Harrison, from Shropshire Council’s information and insight team; Claire Morgan, a Shropshire Council ICT Business Partner; Kayleigh Griffiths, from Shropshire Council’s audit team; Leah Pedder, from Shropshire Council’s education welfare team; Emily Hill, Minsterley Primary School; Donna Ward, from Shropshire Council’s children’s social care team; Livvy Brechunec, teaching assistant, Oxon Primary School, Shrewsbury.
Gwilym Butler, Shropshire Council’s Cabinet member for resources, said:-
“I am so proud of our apprentices and what they’ve achieved so far. To date, we’ve created 123 new apprenticeship positions, with a further 191 current staff undertaking an apprenticeship across Shropshire Council and our maintained schools. A total of 90 of these learners have now completed their apprenticeship programmes, with several progressing to higher level apprenticeships.
“Apprenticeships are a great way to earn whilst you learn and develop your confidence and knowledge, but they’re great for us too. It’s so rewarding to invest in people and help them to develop their skills, knowing that we’re doing our bit to tackle unemployment at what continues to be a difficult time for many.”
Presenting the awards, Andy Begley, Shropshire Council’s chief executive, added:-
“A total of 33 of our officers completed an apprenticeship last year. This is a fantastic achievement, especially considering the extra challenges we’ve faced.
“Investing in our staff is incredibly important to us. Our apprenticeship programme encourages and celebrates personal development, and we’re keen to embrace and build upon this so that we can create a happy and healthy workforce with the right skills for our future success as an organisation.”
To find out more about the apprenticeship opportunities at the council, people can visit the council’s website.
Meet and hear from three of the council’s amazing apprentices Claire Morgan, Harry Hutton and Siobhan Shaw here: https://youtu.be/-PoS6Y4nVoM
