The Apprentice Roadshow & Graduation 2016

The Apprentice Ambassador's hosted the second Apprentice Roadshow and Graduation on Friday 18 March.

The event featured inspiration speakers, ice breaker games and workshops.

Sue Moorman, Head of Human Resources & Organisational Development, opened the event by welcoming all the guests and speakers.

Apprentice Ambassador, Jamie McFadden, led everyone in some ice breaker games which included bingo based on facts about all the guests there, such as 'Who has a cat' and 'Who learns shorthand'.

The Apprentice Ambassadors

The apprentices heard from a variety of speakers throughout the day, including ones from within the council, such as Cheryl Finella, Economic Development Programme Manager, who spoke about the City Employment and Skills Plan and Glen Jones, Head of Workforce Development, who explained the new Brighton & Hove Learning Gateway.

There were also external speakers, such as Money Advice Plus who provided information on finances and Chief Executive of Love Local Jobs, Gary Peters who spoke about his own experience of leaving school and trying to find work and explained that he set up his website so that he could help young people who are in the same situation as he was.

Pinaki Ghoshal 

The day then came to a close with the graduation, hosted by Pinaki Ghoshal, Executive Director Childrens Services.

The event was attended by apprentices working all across the range of services the council provides and gave them the opportunity to network with each other.

Georgia Easteal, apprentice ambassador and chair of the roadshow, said: "It was a great day! The speakers were really interesting and we learnt so much from the training sessions."

"This was such a brilliant opportunity for all the apprentices to meet up and get to know each other."

Pinaki Ghoshal said: "It's a really good event, and it's great to see lots of young people that have taken a different route of employment and it's worked for them.

"This is a really great event to end apprenticeship week on."

The Graduation 

New Apprentice

Stephanie Baker

Age: 19

Apprenticeship: Standards & Achievement Administrator for the Post 16 Development Team

Qualification: Level 3 Diploma in Business Administration 

Why did you choose an apprenticeship?

I wanted to gain a qualification whilst building on the experience I gained volunteering for the Youth Employability Service. 

Where do you go to college?

My course is run by City College but I complete my work in the workplace.

Background

After leaving school I went to Sussex Downs College in Eastbourne. After being there for a term I found that it wasn't the right kind of learning environment for me so I left. I then took a short course with the Youth Employability Service (YES) and stayed there for a year doing admin and assisting with the young people's group on a voluntary basis. YES then supported me in finding and applying for this apprenticeship.

Planning the Apprentice Roadshow & Graduation

Ambassadors preparing for the roadshow

Brighton & Hove City Council’s Apprentice Roadshow and Graduation Ceremony is back after the success of last year’s event.

The council’s Apprentice Ambassadors will be hosting the roadshow in Brighton Town Hall’s Council Chamber and Ante-room on Friday 18 March.

The event will be opened by Sue Moorman, who will welcome everyone and give an introduction to the day.  There will then be inspirational speakers, presentations, training sessions teaching CV and interview skills, group activities and chances to network.

In the afternoon, Pinaki Ghoshal, Brighton & Hove City Council’s executive director of children’s services, will host the graduation ceremony to celebrate the achievements of all the graduates from the past year.

The ambassadors, who will be managing the day, will be responsible for IT, photography, filming, interviewing and chairing the event.

Theo Duncumb Rogers, communications apprentice and apprentice ambassador, said: “The roadshow is a great idea as it allows all the apprentices from across the council to get together and celebrate each other’s successes.”

“Being an apprentice is a wonderful opportunity and, as an ambassador, it’s great to be able to bring awareness to apprenticeships.”

Apprentice Vacancies Map

A new live apprentice vacancy map is available on Brighton & Hove City Council’s website and the Apprentice Ambassador's blog.

It gives a clear view of the variety of apprenticeships being offered across the city, ranging from catering and business admin to childcare and personal training.

The vacancies can all be accessed and applied to directly from the map.

The map was created by Luke Sheldon-Edwards, an ICT apprentice at Brighton & Hove City Council.

You can find the map on the council's website or on the ambassador's blog. 

Apprentice Graduate - Will Kemp

Will Kemp

Local Taxation apprentice, Will Kemp has recently graduated from his apprenticeship with Brighton & Hove City Council and has landed himself with a new job at Lewes District Council as a Revenues and Benefits caseworker.

Will was studying towards a Level 3 IRRV qualification, which he successfully completed. His apprenticeship was done within the office with an assessor who came in at regular intervals to ensure he was completing the work that had been set and could help answer any questions he might have had.

His new job will include answering customer queries and maintaining council tax and benefits accounts.

Will said: "I'm really happy that my time at Brighton & Hove City Council, and passing my qualification, has enabled me to get this job and I would encourage others to go down the apprenticeship route."

National Apprenticeship Week 2016

It’s National Apprenticeship Week and Brighton & Hove City Council apprentices are holding and attending a variety of events.

On the first day of National Apprenticeship Week, the council gained a new apprentice. Stephanie Baker is an apprentice standards and achievement administrator for the Post 16 Development Team and she will be completing a business administration course at City College Brighton & Hove.

Stephanie and Theo Duncumb Rogers, communications apprentice, will be attending the Learning, Skills and Employment Partnership meeting where they will speak to employers about hiring apprentices and the benefits they can provide. They will talk about how they got into their apprenticeships, their experiences as apprentices, and how they are promoting apprenticeships through taking part in the Brathay Apprentice Challenge.

Members of the Brathay Apprentice Challenge team will also be attending the launch of the Greater Brighton Employer Pledge, produced by the Employer Skills Task Force. The Task Force has set the city a target of a minimum of 1,000 new apprenticeships in 1,000 days. The team will be going to network and promote their work for the Brathay Apprentice Challenge to employers and advertise future events the apprentices will be putting on.

The Brighton & Hove City Council apprentice ambassadors will also be putting on a roadshow and graduation for all the apprentices at the council.

The morning will consist of an introduction by Sue Moorman, Head of Human Resources & Organisational Development, inspirational speakers, group activities and training sessions.

In the afternoon there will be a graduation ceremony, hosted by Executive Director Children’s Services, Pinaki Ghoshal, to celebrate the achievements of all the graduate apprentices from the council over the last year. 

There will be representatives from Job Centre Plus, the National Apprenticeship Service, Creative Process, City College Brighton & Hove and many more.

The apprentices will also be getting ready for the careers fair being held by Sussex Chamber of Commerce on Monday 21 March. It will be an opportunity to encourage young people to apply for apprenticeships and also to network with employers and training providers.

Follow the apprentices on twitter @BrightonHoveCC

Find more information about the Brathay Apprentice Challenge here

More information on the 1,000 apprentices in 1,000 days pledge can be found here

Varndean College Apprenticeship Event

Georgia and Trevor at Varndean College

Our apprentice ambassadors, Georgia Easteal and Trevor Lee attended Varndean College’s Apprenticeship Event yesterday to speak to young people about Brighton & Hove City Council and the apprenticeships they provide.

The event consisted of 23 different employers and training providers from a range of job sectors education, social care, finance, creative and digital media, construction and more.

Trevor and Georgia spent the day speaking to Year 11s and college students about what options there are after they finish their education.

They advised people on apprenticeships, what they involved and where they could lead in the future.

Many students said they were interested in doing an ICT apprenticeship and Trevor, an ICT apprentice himself, was able to explain to them all the different kinds of ICT apprenticeships that the council provided.

Georgia, Sustainable Transport apprentice, said: "There were a lot of people who showed a real interest, and it was great to be able to show them all the pathways that apprenticeships create."

Brighton & Hove City Council apprentices take on the Brathay Apprentice Challenge

five members of the council's team

A team of nine apprentices from Brighton & Hove City Council will be taking part in the Brathay Apprentice Challenge, the search for the apprentice team of the year in England.

The Brathay Apprentice Challenge involves teams of apprentices from organisations all over England competing to be crowned the apprentice team of the year.

The chosen team members include apprentices from finance, IT, procurement, sustainable transport, communications and an electrician apprentice.

They will have to undertake a series of exciting and interactive work-related challenge to develop new skills and showcase their employer by engaging with young people and businesses to promote the benefits of apprenticeships.

The challenges are designed to ensure that the teams demonstrate their teambuilding, leadership, logistical and communications abilities.

The council apprentices will be organising lots of events such as school visits, meeting with employers and doing a community project over the following months to help them win the Challenge and promote apprenticeships along the way.

Team leader, Trevor Lee, said "I'm very excited to have been chosen to participate in the Brathay Apprentice Challenge. This is a wonderful opportunity for us to really demonstrate our skills and learn new ones, whilst also raising the profile of apprenticeships and creating more opportunities for them throughout our city."

For more information on the Brathay Apprentice Challenge visit: www.brathay.org.uk/challenge

New Apprentice

Luke Sheldon-Edwards

Age: 20

Apprenticeship: ICT Apprentice

Qualification: NVQ Level 2 ICT Professional Competence

Why did you choose an apprenticeship?

Becoming an apprentice was a decision I made after a lot of thinking about my time at College. I enjoyed the subjects I studied, but I found that the listen/write/repeat method of learning didn’t suit me, and that the few practical courses I had done were much more engaging. For me, the difference was between knowing all these facts, and actually understanding them.

I didn’t want to go to University where I would never really connect with what I was studying. An Apprenticeship seemed like a great alternative to this, especially in the IT field. There are the massive advantages of being paid while you learn, and gaining real work experience at an early stage.

I’m now part of the Web development team in Brighton & Hove City Council. I learn new things and gain new skills every day, and everyone is incredibly supportive and happy to share their knowledge and experience.

Where do you go to college?

The apprenticeship is provided by City College Brighton & Hove, who provide assessors to support you as you work and complete your course.

Background

I studied Biology, Anthropology, Sociology and Psychology at Varndean College. After this, I worked as a part time social worker for the better part of a year before seeking an ICT focused apprenticeship. I was able to join the Web team despite having no previous web development work experience, only an enthusiasm for computing technology.

Hove Park - Year 9 Options Evening

Ambassadors Georgia and Jamie visited Hove Park School on their year 9 options evening to talk to students about apprenticeships.

Georgia & Jamie with Hove Park PSHE team leader,
Mr Warwick

The ambassadors spent the evening talking to year 9 pupils and their parents and carers. They were able to answer questions and provide information that many students and parents didn't know about apprenticeships. 

Many of them had not realised you could do an apprenticeship straight after school, as some people had thought that college was the only option.

Georgia said, "It was my first school visit as an apprentice ambassador and it was such a brilliant experience. It was great to help and advise parents and students as many people we spoke to were unaware of apprenticeships.

"I can't wait to visit more schools in the future!"