Two young people a week gain apprenticeships through partnership

An Islington Council-led partnership has helped 104 local young people – two a week – into an apprenticeship over the last year.  

 

Recently published figures show that the number of local young people not in education, employment, or training (NEET) halved from 4.4 per cent to 2.2 per cent between 2015 and 2016.     

 

The apprentices were placed at a wide range of local employers, including renowned law firm, Linklaters; internationally famous theatre, Sadlers’ Wells; and leading European engineering, consulting, and project management firm, Artelia.

 

Islington Council’s assistant chief executive, Lela Kogbara, said: “We’re committed to helping young people in Islington find jobs, and get their first start in careers they want. 

 

“This is testament to what we can do together, as a borough, to tackle the harmful problem of youth unemployment in Islington.”

 

Forty-four of the 104 apprentices were placed at the council itself.

 

Former council apprentice Nick Burgess, who first joined in 2012 and now works in the council’s Emergency Planning Team, said: “The apprenticeship provided me with a whole host of new skills and gave me a greater level of confidence to complete projects I would never thought of doing before I joined.

 

“Without these skills, confidence and professional work ethic I gained from having this time as an apprentice, I do not believe I’d be in the position I am in today.

 

“I’m now part of a great team, who coordinate council resources in emergencies throughout the borough, emergencies varying from fires to the evacuation of residents into rest centres.

 

“I’d highly recommend the apprenticeship scheme to all applying or thinking of applying due to the multitude of skills that I have gained.”   

 

To help increase take-up of apprenticeships, nearly 2,000 local pupils attended special apprenticeship assemblies, held in secondary schools across the borough, to learn about the work-based training programmes.

 

For more information about applying for an apprenticeship, please visit www.islington.gov.uk/apprenticeships or email YouthEmploymentTeam@islington.gov.uk.