This week, Cambridgeshire County Council is celebrating National Apprenticeship Week by recognising the great work of our apprentices, past and present. There are currently 263 apprentices working with us, and 257 individuals who have successfully completed apprenticeship programmes.
This year’s National Apprenticeship Week theme is ‘Skills for Life’, which highlights how apprenticeships can help people develop the skills and knowledge they need for a rewarding career, as well as allowing businesses to build a talented and inclusive workforce equipped with future-ready skills.
Cambridgeshire County Council offers a wide range of apprenticeships across various sectors, such as business and administration, care services, construction, early years and education, health, and finance. More recently, we began offering civil engineering apprenticeships.
Sara Jenner-Akehurst joined us as a Business Support apprentice in 2023 and last year, Sara won Local Government Apprentice of the Year 2024:
Sara said: “I gained so much experience during my time as an apprentice at Cambridgeshire County Council, and the amazing support from colleagues and mentors gave me the self-belief needed to see it through. My apprenticeship turned into a career for me, as I now have a full-time role as a Business Support Officer. Winning the LGA Apprentice of the year has been the icing on the cake, and an achievement that I will always be hugely proud of.”
Cllr Lucy Nethsingha, leader of Cambridgeshire County Council, said: “I’m incredibly proud of our apprenticeship scheme. Our apprenticeships offer new and existing employees the opportunity to develop and progress in their careers and continue working for the council once qualified. They can then put their new skills to good use, helping to create a greener, fairer, and more caring Cambridgeshire. One of the many great things about apprenticeships is that there’s no age limit. You can start any age, and they can be a fantastic way for career-changers to transition to new areas of work which aligns with the National Apprenticeship Week theme of ‘Skills for Life’.”
We were extremely proud to be the only county council to be upgraded from Silver to Gold membership of the 5% Club last November. The award recognises our contribution to the continued development of all our employees through “earn and learn” schemes such as Apprenticeships.
With a workforce of around 4,600 people and many roles in areas where there are national skills shortages, such as social care and engineering, we continue to explore opportunities to attract and develop a committed and skilled workforce to deliver our vision to build a greener, fairer, and more caring Cambridgeshire.
Many of our roles can be offered with an apprenticeship opportunity; to find out more about working for the county council, head to: Jobs and Careers | Cambridgeshire County Council
