Nottinghamshire County Council is hiring extra apprentices as part of a Government pledge to create three million new apprenticeships nationwide by 2020.

There are currently 60 apprentices based in council departments but that could increase by more than a hundred as part of a commitment to address skills shortages, both at the council and in the wider area.

The council’s ambition is for apprentices to make up 2.3% of the total workforce by 2020; working towards ensuring the Government’s Public Sector Duty target is delivered.

The measures are being funded by the council through the new Apprenticeship Levy, which was introduced nationally in April this year.

Apprenticeships will be available in a wide range of roles at the council and at locations throughout the county. No age restrictions apply for apprentices and there will be opportunities both for adults wanting to retrain for a new career, as well as young people, including recent school leavers.

As part of the changes and in response to the increase in numbers, all new Nottinghamshire County Council apprentices will be employed directly by the Council. Previously, apprenticeship placements were employed through Futures Advice, Skills and Employment.

The council will pay its employedaApprentices the age-related National Minimum Wage rate and offer a high-quality job experience; ongoing professional development with further training and the opportunity to gain nationally recognised job-related qualifications.

Recruitment for a variety of apprenticeship roles will be taking place throughout August, including positions in business administration, customer services, youth work, ICT (including infrastructure technician and software development roles), catering, teaching assistants, facilities management and residential childcare.

Further information about apprenticeships, including a link to current vacancies at the County Council is available at www.nottinghamshire.gov.uk/apprenticeships

Councillor Neil Clarke, chairman of the Personnel Committee at Nottinghamshire County Council, said: “The major extension of our apprenticeship programme is a big commitment, by both the County Council and the Government, to addressing the skills shortage locally and investing in our future workforce.

“Our new approach provides the opportunity to be proactive in our recruitment of apprentices into a wider range of service areas across the Council, which we hope can help attract and retain more young, talented people.

“At exam results time, the number of young people weighing up their options is greater than ever. I am sure that many will give serious consideration to an apprenticeship – either one of the new opportunities here at the County Council, or at one the many businesses and organisations in Nottinghamshire.”