Staffordshire County Council has set out how it will help more people into work and develop their skills through apprenticeships, after launching its new Apprenticeship Strategy.
The county council’s cabinet is being asked to agree the strategy, which sets out how the council plans to invest in employees and grow apprenticeships in the county.
If agreed, it means the county council will focus on developing skills, and will work with the Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire LEP, the Skills Hub, and other public-sector bodies to increase the amount of quality apprenticeships available.
One of the key parts of the strategy is about improving the social mobility and employment prospects of local people, with the aim of providing high-quality jobs and learning.
It will also focus on ensuring that 2.3% of the public sector workforce are apprenticeships by 2020.
County Councillor Philip White, Cabinet Member for Learning and Employability said: “As one of the largest employers in the county, helping to grow apprenticeships is an important part of our business. We want to raise the skill levels and aspirations of our workforce, and our Apprenticeship Strategy will play a key part in this.
“An apprentice learns so much more than just how to do a job or achieve a qualification, and we want to use apprenticeships to explore new ways of working, improve the organisation and help employees to progress through their career.
As a county council we aspire to be an employer of choice, that attracts, develops and retains the most diverse, creative and innovative individuals with the required skills and abilities. This strategy will ensure we can fully maximise the opportunities contained within the new Apprenticeship Levy, by investing in our greatest asset: our employees.”
The county council’s cabinet will consider the strategy on May 15.
