Meet Claire – Apprenticeship Success Stories
Meet Claire
Claire is a Learning & Organisational Development Officer for Basildon Council, who have been recruiting and upskilling their employees with ACL for the past 8 years. We asked her some questions about why she would recommend the ACL Apprenticeships programme to other local authorities and businesses.
Why did you choose an apprenticeship for your organisation ?
We have used the apprentice programme to bring new and, in most cases, younger employees to support them into their career and also help with our ageing workforce.
As a local authority we also have a responsibility to provide opportunity within the borough for individuals to get into successful employment and this is the perfect way.
We have chosen to upskill our current employees as we want our staff to stay and feel valued, and we also want them to be aiming towards a new role whether this be to take the set up or sideways into a completely different role. Learning is so important to keep our staff engaged and to grow our skills as an organisation.
What impact has the apprenticeship programme had on your organisation?
New apprentices have brought so many great new fresh ideas to teams and processes. It’s ensured all teams across the organisation have a great team dynamic.
In what ways has recruiting an apprentice (new/existing) affected employee morale?
Hiring a new apprentice has given the opportunity for staff that wouldn’t normally manage mentor or coach to be able to put those skills into practice. So it’s been great for our existing staff. It pushes them in their own roles and challenges them to be able to skills share and support.
Would you recommend ACL as an apprenticeship provider to other organisations?
Yes! ACL have been so supportive and flexible with Basildon and our learners. We have put learners through ACL programmes with various support needs and they have all been met. All of our learners have enjoyed their experience, been supported and most importantly have all been successful.
We are continuing to deliver our high-quality apprenticeship programme throughout the Covid-19 pandemic and can help you consider different options for your business and the specific circumstances you are currently working within. Businesses could receive funding of up to £3,000 to support them to take on a new apprentice and we offer apprenticeships at intermediate, advanced and higher levels. To find out more about how an ACL apprenticeship could help your business visit our apprenticeship page.
We are running free online information sessions for both those interested in an apprenticeship and employers looking to recruit or upskill their staff. These will be running during National Apprenticeship Week on Thursday 11th February. If you are interested in signing up to one of these sessions, please click here.