Friday, 15 February 2013

Around one third of all job vacancies advertised by Hampshire County Council on the first steps of its career ladder are to be offered as apprenticeships under a pioneering new programme that will start this year.

The County Council's Cabinet has fully endorsed a scheme to expand the number of young apprentices within its workforce by up to 1,000 over the next five years. Under the Hampshire Youth Investment Programme up to170 apprentices will be recruited each year and another 30 posts in total will be available for young people in care or leaving care as the Leader's Internship Plus scheme pilot is extended.

Apprentices have already worked for the County Council in roles such as mechanics, rangers or teaching assistants, in the countryside, in museums, or in laboratories. Now it is set to expand this to attract more young people aged 16-25 into its workforce and give them support.

The Leader of the County Council, Councillor Ken Thornber, put forward the proposals to help more of Hampshire's young people get their feet on the employment ladder by appointing them to permanent, full time jobs in the Council, appropriately supported and rewarded from the outset.

He said it would also give them a chance to be part of a highly successful organisation at the cutting edge of developments in local government and the opportunity to work with skilled staff to help Hampshire residents.

It is anticipated the first cohort of apprentices and interns under the new programme will be recruited in the summer to take up their posts in September. They will be supported with help, training and any further study they may need, perhaps to catch up on essential qualifications they missed in secondary education. There will be three levels of apprenticeship - intermediate, advanced and higher with the higher level seen as an alternative route for college leavers to going to university as it will lead to an equivalent to Foundation Degree or Higher National Certificate or Diploma.

As well as on the job training there will be day or block release to attend training sessions or college courses and all apprentices will have a mentor from within the County Council to support them throughout their apprenticeship.

The Council is also making substantial investment into Future Skills Centres, operated by high quality post-16 training providers and/or colleges, which would support future workforce requirements in Hampshire in priority areas such as health and social care. Hampshire County Council has already put £3million into the Gosport Skills Centre, a centre for engineering and manufacturing advanced skills training on the Daedalus Enterprise Zone site, led by Fareham College and supported by St Vincent College and private sector employers,

Councillor Thornber said: "There are many young people in Hampshire whose prospects are, to say the least, very uncertain and gone are the days when jobs were generally available when you left education. Our apprentices will be the kind of people who want to get on in life, young people who are hard working, keen to learn, enthusiastic and show initiative. They will want to work as part of a team committed to always doing things better. This is an exciting programme that will help us to harness young talent, encourage innovation and help us meet future workforce requirements."

Commenting on the investment in Future Skills Centres, Cllr Thornber said: "Skills shortages must not hold back Hampshire's economy and that's why I'm very pleased that we are working in partnership at Daedalus to ensure that Hampshire people have the right skills to meet the needs of Hampshire's employment market. Not only will it improve opportunities for young people, it should also attract investment and employers to the area which is very good news for economic prosperity."

• Placements and Opportunities

Thursday, 10 January 2013

Hampshire County Council's Leader, Councillor Ken Thornber is pictured with four young people who have successfully completed the Council's Internship Plus scheme and one young person currently undertaking her internship.

The Internship Plus scheme provides work placement opportunities for young people in the care of the County Council and leaving care. The four who have completed the scheme undertook a range of internships including working for the County Council's Adult Services department at the Hampshire Integrated Community Equipment Services, working in its Trading Standards department and working as an Arts Centre assistant.

This year the Full Council agreed a proposal from Cllr Thornber to make permanent his pilot initiative offering young care leavers internships. The scheme not only provides opportunities for paid work placements within the County Council but also opportunities to access relevant qualifications. Fifteen young people are currently taking part in the scheme. Joining Cameron, Michaela, and Melissa who are all now in fulltime employment and Kirsty who is at college, for the photo is Stacy Burton who is currently on a placement at Havant day services.

Commenting Cllr Thornber said: "As corporate parents we were particularly keen that we help those people who need that extra support to succeed in the workplace, recognising that young care leavers face particular challenges that their peers do not. I am very pleased to celebrate with these young people, the successful completion of their internship. As one of the County's largest employers I think it is important we take a lead with initiatives like this which help young people take their first steps into employment."

One of those who completed the Internship is Michaela Blaylock who now works full-time for the County Council's trading standards department. Michaela, 21, said: "The scheme has really helped me build my confidence," she said. As part of her internship Michaela attended events around the county promoting the Council's Buy With Confidence scheme. "I really enjoyed working as part of a team, meeting different people and telling them about the service. I got to see what working life was like and what would be expected of me."

With the Internship Plus scheme Michaela was also encouraged to take NVQs and was delighted to add those to her National Diploma qualification in Public Services which she gained at college. "I achieved the best grades possible under the scheme and it really boosted my confidence and my belief in myself. Getting the job has also been a real boost. It is great to be working, to be earning my own money. I would definitely encourage other young people in care to get involved with the Internship Plus scheme."

• Internships Plus Scheme

Friday, 30 November 2012

One thousand young people are to be given their first steps on the career ladder at Hampshire County Council in the biggest investment in youth employment ever made by the Council.

The plan to employ one thousand 16 to 25 year-olds as apprentices over the next five years will support more young people to develop the skills and experience needed to set them on a path to successful careers. In addition, a new scholarship scheme would enable up to 50 young people from families with limited financial means to have a chance to progress to university.

Tackling youth unemployment is part of a multi-million pound package of investment in infrastructure and jobs that was outlined by the Leader of the County Council, Councillor Ken Thornber, at today's County Council meeting.

Further details and costs will be developed as part of the County Council's budget for 2013/14 that will be drafted over the next few weeks for decisions in February.

Other proposals outlined by the Leader were:

• A 'substantial sum' to build a state-of-the-art district energy network for parts of Winchester that would reduce carbon emissions and save money on energy for major organisations in the city and help guarantee Hampshire's future supply of energy. Producing both heating and electricity, it's expected to be a model that could be used elsewhere in the county.
• A 'very substantial' financial contribution to superfast broadband to install speeds of 24 megabits in 90 per cent of Hampshire and at least 2 megabits in the 10 per cent of the county that is hard to reach, by 2015.
• Up to £2m to renovate and restore to its former glory, one of Hampshire's most significant waterways, the Basingstoke Canal. Local tourism will be given a boost by improving the opportunities for boating, canoeing, walking, cycling and angling.
• A heritage support package that includes £1m over two years towards the £19m appeal fund for Hampshire's greatest, world-class tourist and religious facility, Winchester Cathedral. It will support the education centre attended by 10,000 children from Hampshire and 15,000 out of county children each year and help secure the facility for future generations.
• Further investment to improve the quality of life in Hampshire's small towns and villages through the concept of 'Shared Spaces' to reduce the impact of vehicles, as well as increased funding to help community halls in the work they do.
• Stimulating Hampshire's economic development, property market and employment through the strategic management of land. This includes joint ownership of Manydown where, in partnership with Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council, the County Council would jointly promote the land over the next 15 years to ensure development is the most sustainable and of the highest quality.
• The Leader has also had talks with the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, Eric Pickles, about the Bordon and Whitehill area after the MoD transfers its functions and the potential for new jobs, new housing and commercial and trading opportunities that would exist if the much needed infrastructure can be provided.

Councillor Thornber said afterwards that the Council was in a position to consider these investments in economic growth due to the Council's successful approach to tackling the tough financial climate and cuts in central government funding.

"Our cost reduction programme, with early action taken to make savings by restructuring the Council and modernising and sharing services to protect front-line resources, has put Hampshire in a strong position to lay the ground for future investment.

"Having achieved £100m savings over two years, our focus now is on growth and improvement, while continuing to deliver quality services at lowest cost to the taxpayer. Hampshire really is in business" he said.

• What are Apprenticeships?