Louise Timperley, Apprenticeship Engagement Manager at Co-op, is this edition’s employer guest columnist.
Meet this year’s crowned apprentices of the year from our Annual Apprenticeship Awards earlier this year in National Apprenticeship Week.
We had a visit to Kidzrus’ MediaCity setting to hear from Director Nicola Fleury and meet passionate apprentice Jessica Townsley.
The contractor’s apprenticeship scheme has been commended for its commitment to the next generation construction workforce
We caught up with Sania Rashid, who was part of the first cohort of Customer Service Apprentices that the Co-op recruited with us back in 2020. Sania, who has been blind since birth, talks to us about her experience of undertaking an apprenticeship with us and how she has been able to start a fulfilling career with the Co-op.
Sarah Allen talks about the recent updates in the apprenticeship recruitment sector and what the team have been up to over the past few months.
Meet apprentice Anthony who has recently settled in to his new apprenticeship job role at Career Connect.
The unique Salford traineeship commenced its annual programme earlier this year in May, allowing a cohort of 16-24 year olds to gain construction industry knowledge and opportunities.
The Sector Based Work Academy is an award-winning programme that has been running since 2012. It is a partnership between Apprenticeships at Salford City College, The Northern Care Alliance and Job Centre Plus, and is designed to get unemployed Salford residents who have an interest in adult care into permanent employment.
The Skills and Post-16 Education Act was passed on 28 April 2022, paving the way for a range of positive changes which will help transform the skills and training landscape, and ‘level up’ opportunities across the country.
WORLD CLASS STAFF, SUPPORTED BY WORLD CLASS INDUSTRY PARTNERS
It is vital we give staff significant time and exposure to their sectors to enable them to develop and learn. Relationships with industry are essential; the more strategically we work with our industry partners, the better experience our students receive.
Take your next steps up the career ladder with a HR Support Apprenticeship with Salford City College.
Welcome to the Autumn/Winter 2022 edition of Achieve
Welcome to the autumn/winter edition of Achieve 2022. There has been a huge amount of activity across Salford City College Group since I last wrote an introduction, both in the apprenticeship sector and the broader work we do in partnership with employers across Salford and beyond. I am sure you will enjoy reading the detail within this publication.
It was with immense sadness that we were recently informed of the very sad passing of Campbell Cummings. Campbell was an outstanding electrical installation apprentice, who won the ‘Building Services Apprentice of the Year’ award at our annual apprentice awards in March. Employed by Fusion Electrical, Campbell was a motivated, hard-working apprentice, who had the brightest of futures ahead of him in the building services sector. Our sincere condolences from all at Apprenticeships at Salford City College are with Campbell’s family, friends and work family. This publication is dedicated to the memory of Campbell, he was incredibly proud of his apprenticeship and the opportunities that it presented him with.
I am delighted to welcome Louise Timperley as guest columnist in this edition. Louise and colleagues across the Co-operative Group lead by example in their outstanding commitment to the employment and training of thousands of apprentices across their organisation. All of the best apprentices have brilliant employers supporting them, and it is with great pride that we recognise Robin Stewart form the Co-op, and the other Apprenticeship at Salford City College award winners on pages 4-7. I am incredibly proud to share the news that our overall apprentice of the year winner, Stacey Chambers, from Salford City Council, made the shortlist for the Association of Colleges national Apprentice of the Year Award, from the hundreds of entries.
In the last academic year, colleagues from our Apprenticeships at Salford City College team supported more apprentices than ever. Over 1,700 apprentices were on programme within the year. This makes it even more impressive that in our most recent apprentice survey, feedback was outstanding. Apprentices recognise the expertise of our Apprenticeship Team, and absolutely believe that their expertise in delivery will have a very positive impact on their future career, through their apprenticeship learning.
It is more important than ever, that as the largest post 16 provider in Salford and one of the biggest in the North West, that we continue to be a key provider of talent for businesses across the region. Through our Industry Partners programme, more and more employers are working strategically with us to ensure our students are the right talent they need for their business. Through our employer curriculum boards, our annual Salford City College Group planning cycle is underpinned by input from many employers, ensuring our provision is right for students and right for employers. If you would like to get your business involved, please email me on allan.milne@salfordcc.ac.uk.
As we look ahead in the short term to the potentially further challenging economic conditions that 2023 may bring, I would encourage all employers and businesses to look beyond these challenges. Skills shortages are one of the biggest long-term challenges most business are facing. Let’s keep investing in apprentices and new talent. Let’s keep creating opportunities for our local people to develop the skills and knowledge they need to drive your business forward. Wishing you all the best for the festive period.
Allan Milne Director of Apprenticeships & Employer Engagement ALLAN MILNE KAREN KENNY Assistant Director of Apprenticeships
Director of Apprenticeships & Employer Engagement
I am delighted to have been asked to be the Employer Guest Columnist for this edition of Achieve Magazine. As our partnership with Apprenticeships at Salford City College continues to go from strength to strength, it is my pleasure to share some of the experiences we have had from partnering with the College and developing staff at our Support Centre.
Here at the Co-op, we are a consumer owned co-operative running an ethically responsible business. Our vision is ‘Co-operating for a Fairer World.’ Every day, we champion a better way of doing business for our communities by offering a range of products and services which create value for our Co-op members and their communities. We’re the UK’s largest consumer co-operative, with more than four million active members and a presence in every postal area in the country. We’re a major food retailer and wholesaler; we’re the largest funeral provider in the UK; a major provider of regulated consumer legal services, particularly probate and wills, and a major provider of life planning and insurance products. Since 1844, the co-operative movement has promoted organisations with a clear social purpose, and the Co-op continues that tradition.
Our businesses are all UK-based, and our main support centre is in Manchester. As a membership organisation, we make a commitment to provide the very best service at all times, across our stores and funeral homes, but also from our Support Centre, responding to membership queries on the busy telephone lines.
Three years ago, we made a decision to look into how we recruited our Customer Service Advisor colleagues. We had been looking for colleagues with some level of experience, and we realised this wasn’t keeping us true to our vision of co-operating for a fairer world, as we were immediately ruling out access to employment for some potentially wonderful colleagues.
So, we decided we needed to invest in an appropriate training programme, and so our Customer Service Practitioner Apprenticeship Programme was launched. Our rigorous procurement process identified Apprenticeships at Salford City College as able to meet all our needs. We particularly valued the way tutors and coaches supported them to develop quickly into their roles so they could add value to the business. The immersion of line managers into the process was identified as one of the reasons why the programme was so successful from the outset. Three years down the line, colleagues have developed in their roles and progressed to new ones.
From the first cohort of apprentices, we have been delighted to see Robin Stewart, who won the ‘Business & Professional Services Apprentice of the Year’ at the Apprenticeships at Salford City Annual Awards, secure a promotion to Senior
Customer Service Advisor only weeks after completing her apprenticeship. This was also only a few months after landing the ‘Newcomer of the Year’ award at the Call North West Awards.
Luca Gray, who was our youngest apprentice at just 16 years old, was successful in his application for a secondment with our Data & Systems team. Luca is currently a seconded Salesforce Administrator who looks after the day-to-day running of our Salesforce system, which allows us to service all our Members and Funeralcare queries. On top of this, all of our Customer Service Practitioner apprentices have gone on to become superb Customer Service Advisors.
Taking a wider view of co-operation, many will be aware of the fact that millions of pounds of unspent levy has been returned to HMRC in recent years. We decided to try to do something about this. In 2021, we established ‘Co-op Levy Share’ as a way of harnessing the desire from many businesses in our networks to tackle some of the under-representation that exists in apprenticeships; whether that is looking at different minority ethnic or socio-economic backgrounds, or gender inequality. To date, we have supported over 1,000 apprenticeships in businesses who do not have enough levy of their own to support their apprenticeship ambition, using over £10 million of shared levy from the Co-op and our partners.
If you want to pledge or receive funding, please take a look at our website: cooplevyshare.co.uk
See page 5 for more on Robin’s win at the Annual Apprenticeships at Salford City College Awards earlier this year and page 11 to meet one of our other fabulous apprentices, Sania. I hope you enjoy reading this edition!
Earlier this year, in the midst of National Apprenticeship Week, Apprenticeships at Salford City College hosted their apprentices, employer partners, stakeholders and colleagues with an evening of celebration at the Annual Apprenticeship Awards. View our award winners and why they won over the next few pages.
WINNER OF THE CAMPBELL CUMMINGS BUILDING SERVICES ENGINEERING APPRENTICE OF THE YEAR AWARD
From Campbell’s Tutors and Assessors at Salford City College Group: “Campbell always had a smile on his face and did his best to meet any targets that I set him. He was prepared to help others in his group that needed more support and never complained when he felt like he was under pressure.” - Paul Crean
“Campbell was a vibrant and pleasant member of his class who had a bright and friendly personality which shone through. He worked hard and engaged well with all the members of his peers as well as the staff. I know from discussions with him how proud he was to have won one this award and always jokingly reminded the rest of his group about this! Both his peers and I are already missing his presence in the classroom as it is not the same without him here. We all send our love, thoughts and prayers to Campbell’s family and friends, who we know he cared so much about, as well as wishing that Campbell rests in peace.” - David Aspden
From Campbell’s Colleagues at Fusion Electrical: “Campbell would get up at 5.00am to get to work every day. He was never late and grafted all day. Campbell was a real team player.” - Vicky Thompson
“Campbell had an amazing work ethic. He never complained, was always on time and never late, he worked really hard and loved his job. He was a pleasure to deal with and always had a smile, which made a huge impact on all of us at Fusion. He will be dearly missed.” - James Harrison
OVERALL APPRENTICE OF THE YEAR EARLY YEARS & EDUCATION APPRENTICE OF THE YEAR
“Stacey should be immensely proud of her achievements; she has continued to be a valuable member of our team and has continued to show enthusiasm and dedication to care for young children and their families, as well as being professional in her role.”
Stacey was also recently shortlisted for the AoC Student of the Year Awards 2022/23 for the ‘Apprentice of the Year’ Award.
MICHAEL HEGARTY FINANCIAL SERVICES APPRENTICE OF THE YEAR“Mike collaborates across business teams in the company whilst remaining accountable for his workloads to drive successful results. He was very keen to develop and his self-determination has led him to become instrumental for the apprenticeship cohort, with him setting up a number of networking groups to support himself and the wider group with the programme.”
“Robin is passionate about helping colleagues and improving all aspects of the working environment that are within her gift. Robin has had nothing but positive feedback from the team at Salford City College. Through her hard work and determination to make a difference she has done herself, her college and the Co-op proud this year. Robin is on the first step of what will undoubtedly be a successful career in whatever she chooses to do.”
“Kade has embraced pre-employability support and has demonstrated how historic experiences do not define the future when someone applies themselves and focuses their energy on the positive. At work he is highly praised for his work ethic and skills and academically he has been thriving.”
“Cath completed her apprenticeship admirably as a mature student. She approached the college work in a professional, enthusiastic manner whilst supporting a full-time role during the pandemic caring for end of life patients.”
Apprenticeships at Salford City College hosted their apprentices, employer partners, stakeholders and colleagues with an evening of celebration at the Annual Apprenticeship Awards.
The event took place at FutureSkills at MediaCityUK, with guests treated to networking, drinks and canapés before an awards event where businesses and apprentices would be recognised and awarded for their commitment to apprenticeships.
Hosted by Allan Milne, Director of Business Development & Apprenticeships at Salford City College Group, and with key note speeches from Tom Stannard, Chief Executive of Salford City Council, apprentice Robin Stewart from Co-op, and former Sector-Based Work Academy student Arnold Keungmeue, guests were able to hear firsthand why apprenticeships are so important for both businesses and individuals.
Musical performances also graced the awards stage with Creative Music student Brendan Lau performing an acoustic set, and The Pendleton Contemporary Choir covering a mash-up of show-stopping a cappellas.
Awards were given to apprentices who have gone above and beyond in their work, have excelled in their apprenticeship, are a great asset to their business and have brought unique and fresh ideas to their organisation.
Business awards were given to our employers who have ignited their businesses through apprenticeships, worked with the Apprenticeship Team to develop their apprentices and create opportunities, taken part in initiatives that have benefited their apprentices and championed the use of apprenticeships to drive their business forward.
Allan Milne commented: “It was a brilliant evening where we celebrated the best of both apprentices and employers. There were so many brilliant nominees, the judging panel had a very tough time deciding. I am looking forward to next year already!”
Guest and winner of the Medium Employer of the Year Award, Nicola Fleury, commented: “Just to say a huge thank you for the most fabulous awards ceremony. We were delighted to win the award for the ‘Medium Employer of the Year’. Everything was wonderful and so well organised from start to finish. The entertainment was superb and the refreshments were lovely thank you all so much, very much appreciated. We really enjoyed the evening and a huge pat on the back to all involved.”
To find out more about how you can become an apprentice or employ an apprentice for your business, contact the Apprenticeship Team on 0161 631 5555 or email apprenticeships@salfordcc.ac.uk.
One thing is immediately apparent when stepping foot into the Kidzrus MediaCity nursery: Warmth. The welcome, friendly and homely atmosphere of the nursery, reflected in both its staff and the children that attend there, is something that instantly hits you.
This is something that Director, Nicola Fleury, holds dear. With the nursery motto being ‘Every Child, Every Chance’, Nicola’s main aim is to provide a personal, warm and happy environment for children, staff and parents.
Starting her career as a Childminder, Nicola always had the vision of developing a group of high-quality nurseries across Salford. The Kidzrus Group, initially formed in 2010, is now a collection of five nurseries and one forest school, including the MediaCity nursery.
Since before Kidzrus’ inception, Nicola has created opportunities for her staff to learn and develop through work placements and apprenticeships. “In as early as 2006, as a Childminder, I established a link with Salford City College Group whereby I became a placement provider for many of the students. I opened our first Kidzrus setting in Swinton in 2010, and from then on, Kidzrus have developed a wonderful relationship with the College. We have attended open events, delivered presentations to prospective childcare practitioners, and recruited many apprentices with guidance from the Apprenticeship Team. Many of these apprentices have been successful with us over the years, with one of our Deputy Managers at Swinton having started her own career as a placement student and then an apprentice.”
The nurseries operate with an apprentice ‘buddying’ system, where an apprentice is linked up with an established staff member who will take them under their wing and show them a lot of the practical side of things, all the while nurturing them with their experience. “This ensures apprentices can progress wherever they want to within the Kidzrus Group should they choose to. It’s a great thing for us, because we are able to recruit the apprentice early on in their career and show them the ‘Kidzrus Way’,
which means they will be able to become a really great childcare practitioner,” Nicola said.
“We have an in-house training academy within the Kidzrus group for all staff members, which gives apprentices the opportunity to talk about how they are doing, what their expectations are, if they need any additional support or training, and access our internal software which includes over 100 online courses. This is upskilling them personally and professionally and giving them the opportunity to gain essential knowledge. It also means we can enhance and empower our staff to focus on any particular field within childcare that they choose to.”
Coming out of the pandemic, like many other businesses, Kidzrus are facing recruitment challenges. “We are not alone with this,” Nicola stated, “as it seems to be across every sector. However, it’s great that we can take apprentices on board through this ever-challenging time, and it helps us so much by having the wonderful partnership we do with Salford City College Group - to grant us more hands on deck for the team here, whilst giving the apprentices opportunities and opening doors for them.”
One of these apprentices is Jessica Townsley, Room Leader in the Pre-School Room and recently appointed ‘Third in Charge’ at the MediaCity Nursery. “I always knew I had a big love for working with children, but when I came into this job role here, I wanted that extra knowledge, and
knew that I wanted to step up into a management role - so to do that I needed the qualification behind me. This was the get-go for me doing my apprenticeship,” Jessica said.
In her day-to-day role, Jessica is responsible for making sure everybody in the pre-school room knows what they are doing, as well as covering the day-to-day planning for the children; covering all different areas of learning as specified by the EYFS. “I make sure all observations are done, any assessments, and talk it through with the parents,” Jessica said. “With my recent appointment of Third in Charge, I have taken on a wider responsibility, showing visitors around, getting new children on board and so on.”
Balancing these responsibilities with her apprenticeship work, Jessica tells of her experience: “I have video calls with the Apprenticeship Team here at work whilst on shift which is really great, and they tell me what I need to do for my coursework and what’s required for the apprenticeship.”
“My apprenticeship is a great opportunity to develop my skills and knowledge whilst in the workplace as well because I am learning day-to-day. Knowledge is power, and it will enable you to progress in your career, which is something I personally want to do.”
Jessica is just one example of the many apprentices Kidzrus have nurtured across their Salford settings. Providing these opportunities, along with equipping their apprentices with an in-depth knowledge of working within their sector and enabling them to grow in confidence are just some of the reasons the Group were awarded with the ‘Medium Employer of the Year’ award. This was awarded at the Annual Apprenticeships at Salford City College Awards earlier this year.
“We were absolutely thrilled to receive the award,” Nicola said. “The event itself was a wonderful evening, extremely well organised, and it was an honour and a pleasure to receive the ‘Medium Employer of the Year’ Award. We have great links with the College in numerous ways, from providing placements and apprenticeships, having teachers attend CPD Industry days with us, but also even caring for staff and students’ children, particularly ESOL students in the area here at our MediaCity nursery. I’m passionate about helping the people of Salford, being one myself, so to be recognised for this was the icing on the cake for us.”
To find out more about the Childcare & Early Years apprenticeships that Apprenticeships at Salford City College offer, contact 0161 631 5555 or email apprenticeships@salfordcc.ac.uk.
To find out more about Kidzrus, visit www.kidzrusnursery.co.uk.
Jessica with some of her Pre-School Class
North West based contractor, Seddon, has been recognised for its continued commitment to apprenticeships, with the company ranked as one of the top 100 apprenticeship employers of 2022. Seddon’s partnership with Salford City College provides training to apprentices ages 16 upwards, looking to embark on long-term, viable careers in construction.
The rankings celebrate England’s outstanding apprenticeship employers, signposting listed companies as the country’s leaders to future apprentices, parents, and careers advisers nationwide. Among those listed are well-known brands such as John Lewis Partnership, NatWest Group and ASDA.
Nicola Hodkinson - Director and Owner at Seddon, said: “Part of Seddon’s core values is a commitment into attracting the next generation of industry professionals and supporting them by making the transition from education to employment a smooth and accessible one.”
Developed by the Department for Education in partnership with High Fliers Research, who independently assess and rank the nation’s top apprenticeship employers, the rankings were first launched in 2020. It is now in its second year after the list wasn’t published in 2021 due to the pandemic.
Hodkinson continued: “Opening lines of communication between businesses, schools and colleges is vital for the success of apprenticeships and Salford City College is a valued partner as we continue to invest in the next generation. United by a mutual commitment to apprenticeships and the benefits they provide to both the individuals and the wider construction industry, we are looking forward to many more years of this partnership.”
Since the partnership began in 2017, Salford City College has provided training to 127 Seddon apprentices, 117 of which progressed into full-time roles within the company. Seddon’s high retention rates are testament to its commitment to providing valuable and insightful programmes for its apprentices. This latest recognition further showcases the contractor’s passion for playing its part in closing the industry’s skills gap and nurturing new talent.
said: ‘’Seddon absolutely deserve this recognition for its commitment to employing, supporting, and developing apprentices. The company is passionate about ensuring our apprentices can develop fantastic careers in the construction industry, and we take great pride in helping them to achieve this.’’
In October, Seddon recruited a further 17 apprenticeships across its North West and Midlands offices, a 40% larger intake than usual after receiving more than 350 applications. Of those 17 recruits, five were trade apprentices – including three joiners, one painter and one bricklayer – ten higher degree students, five trainee site managers and five were trainee quantity surveyors. A further intake of 14 followed in Spring 2022, with the next phase of recruitment due to take place in Spring 2023.
Seddon currently employs 50 apprentices throughout the business. Access to employment after the programme’s completion has always been a long-standing cornerstone for the contractor, with 70% of its painting division having joined the company via apprenticeship programmes, some as far back as 1991.
Hodkinson concludes: “Apprentices are vital for the growth, progression, and success of the construction industry, which is why we are so committed to apprenticeship programmes. It is fantastic to see so many Seddon apprentices progress within the company after they graduate, and we are determined to continue that trend alongside our educational partner Salford City College.”
The contractor’s apprenticeship scheme has been commended for its commitment to the next generation construction workforce
We caught up with Sania Rashid, who was part of the first cohort of Customer Service Apprentices that the Co-op recruited with us back in 2020. Sania, who has been blind since birth, talks to us about her experience of undertaking an apprenticeship with us and how she has been able to start a fulfilling career with the Co-op.
What made you decide to do an apprenticeship? I didn’t need any experience to start this role, I could completely learn on the job. I wasn’t employed prior to this role, so I thought it would be the best route to go down for me so that I can get experience at the same time as doing the job.
The customer service apprenticeship appealed to me not only for these reasons, but it sounded great as a starting point and meant I could speak to lots of different people day-to-day through my customer service responsibilities. I currently work in the Food & Membership department, dealing with complaints, updating details, and assisting customers if they are having issues accessing special offers and such. There is scope for me to move to other departments which I hope to do, to be able to expand my skills and knowledge.
How was the recruitment process and starting the apprenticeship for you? Starting the apprenticeship was straightforward. My interview and enrolment took place over a telephone call with colleagues at the College and my soon to be colleagues at the Co-op. Within the first couple of weeks, my workbooks were sent to me in an accessible format.
It was quite daunting going straight from not being employed into full-time work, but I was glad to finally be able to have a job!
What adjustments have been made for you as a blind colleague?
Adjustments have been made for me so that I can be successful in my role. For emails and calls, I use a screen reader. The college would make sure I had regular one-to-ones and would ask me if I needed anything extra. My Assessor was Roxanne, and I knew that I could contact her at any stage if anything needed adjusting or making more accessible.
For the End-Point Assessment, the College made this as smooth as possible for me. I was in the office being observed on the phone with customers, and then I had a Teams interview which was a professional discussion, where they were sure to make any reasonable adjustments needed for me to be able to complete it with no problems.
How did it feel to pass your apprenticeship?
It was great when I passed my apprenticeship, got my certificate and was able to show that I had my qualification. It felt great, and now I know I have my certificate to help me with future opportunities.
If you would like to learn more about any additional support we can offer during an apprenticeship programme, speak to the team by calling 0161 631 5555 or emailing apprenticeships@salfordcc.ac.uk.
Apprenticeship Recruitment Team Leader Sarah Allen gives her latest insight into the world of apprenticeship recruitment and a summary of what the Team have been up to over the last few months.
Events & more events!
Our Apprentice & Employer Advisors are working extremely hard sourcing new candidates and building a strong talent pool to put forward to employers on a daily basis.
Over the past few months, events across Salford are back in full swing and the Team have attended a number of them, hosted by local partners. This enabled them to share our opportunities and spread the good word of apprenticeships. These included:
• Job Centre Plus Fairs
• Moorside High School Mock Interviews
• The Jobs Fair Exhibition
• Career Connect Training Sessions
• Full Time College Futures Week
We have also hosted a number of our own events over the past couple of months which include:
• Industry Partners Day
• Construction Traineeship Recruitment Day (Build Salford)
• Regular Recruitment Open Days
• Employer Lunch
• School & College Leavers Information Event
The School & College Leaver Information Event was an opportunity for people considering apprenticeships as their next step to find out what Apprenticeships at Salford City College’s offer included. There were also employers in attendance who could discuss their live vacancies. All those who attended were offered a follow up appointment with our Apprentice & Employer Advisors. The event was hosted in June, and a number of attendees have now secured an apprenticeship already. Roles include a Legal Administrator, a Finance Assistant in a global company, a Bricklayer working on sites across Manchester, an Administrator for a local charity and an Early Years Practitioner in a local nursery.
SARAH ALLEN
T M E W HEAD OFFICE:
sarah.allen@salfordcc.ac.uk
Employers that attended the event really enjoyed meeting candidates face to face and getting a real understanding of what career routes young people were looking to get into. It gave the employers a great opportunity to network with the other employers and the College staff.
Over the summer, the Apprenticeship Recruitment Team connected Anthony, an Apprentice in Business Administration, with Career Connect. Career Connect are a charity that helps young people and adults to achieve their potential by providing high quality, professional career, employment and training services. Anthony has settled in really well, supporting the organisation with the positive development of young people through specialist support services.
Anthony said: “I found my apprenticeship through the School and College Leaver event that Apprenticeships at Salford City College held at their Business Centre on the Quays. I went to the event, and they handed out different vacancies they had available and asked me what I wanted to do, I chose Career Connect after doing a little bit of research and then the Apprenticeship Team helped me to apply for it.”
Anthony’s colleague, Helen Rushworth, said: “Career Connect really value having an apprentice on board – it is great having someone in a role which we can tailor to fit our needs.They gain lots of fantastic skills and experience as they often work across different teams, so they get a chance to see the variety of roles and responsibilities, and also become a highly valued staff member as they can bring the flexibility we need. Our current apprentice, Anthony, is great at using social media and digital platforms, which is perfect for promoting our service and sharing information. I am confident that Anthony will flourish and succeed here with us at Career Connect.”
Build Salford, the unique Salford traineeship, commenced its annual programme earlier this year, allowing a cohort of 16-24 year olds to gain knowledge, skills and experience of the construction industry and give them opportunities to progress into construction apprenticeships and employment.
Build Salford was initiated over five years ago in response to construction industry skills shortages and the need to align local, young Salford residents with the opportunities these shortages have presented. The Traineeship has been hugely successful so far, with the last Traineeship seeing 23 of its candidates progressing onto further training, apprenticeships or employment.
Apprenticeships at Salford City College and Salford City Council initiated the scheme in partnership, and have worked hard over the years to develop and maintain an industry-led, collaborative approach to the design and delivery of a construction-specific occupational traineeship. Since its inception, almost one hundred young people from Salford have benefited from the approach, with many now in successful careers across the construction sector.
Councillor Cusack, Executive Support Member for Skills & Work at Salford City Council, said: “We are all very proud of the success of Build Salford in upskilling Salford’s young people and giving them the opportunity to progress a career in the construction industry and access apprenticeship and future employment.
“The success of the initiative is down to the fantastic partnership that we have with Apprenticeships at Salford City College and employers in the industry, working hand-in-hand to make a career in construction more obtainable and accessible. I wish the next cohort all the best with the scheme.”
The traineeship took place at Morgan Sindall Construction’s Knowledge Quad, based at its live construction site, the Salford University North of England Robotics Innovation Centre (NERIC) on Frederick Road, opposite City Skills, where many of the trainees will go onto study. The Knowledge Quad is a multi-purpose training and learning facility which focuses on areas of skills, education, employment and discovery. It creates a vital link between industry and education, ensuring that curriculum aligns with employer requirements and that students, trainees and apprentices at all levels are provided with the relevant knowledge and skills to help them succeed.
The trainees at the Knowledge Quad on the launch day, sporting their Build Salford hoodies
The Traineeship included a blend of classroom learning, site visits, work placements and opportunities for the trainees to gain their CSCS card. Trainees were welcomed on their induction day at the Knowledge Quad by the programme’s many employer partners, amongst them James Johnson from CITB, who presented each trainee with a branded Build Salford hoody, sponsored by CITB.
James said: “CITB is proud to support the Build Salford initiative. The Traineeship is a great way for local Salford residents to experience the construction industry and kick-start their careers. CITB is committed to working with industry partners to make construction more accessible to new entrants, and Build Salford is key to this.”
The traineeship has gone from strength to strength over the years, with the support of many construction firms and housing providers across the North West, including Keepmoat Homes, Salix Homes, Morgan Sindall Construction, Seddon, Casey, and Wilmott Dixon, to name a few.
Allan Milne, Director of Apprenticeships & Employer Engagement at Salford City College Group, comments: “Build Salford is a fantastic scheme allowing young people of Salford to move into careers in the construction industry. Supported by brilliant industry partners, the scheme provides a great insight into the sector and paves the way for progress into apprenticeships. I wish all the 2022 cohort the very best!”
Shaun Jones, Area Director for Morgan Sindall Construction, commented: “We are delighted to have hosted the Build Salford traineeship at our Knowledge
Quad for the second year in a row. The cohort were able to start the traineeship on the right foot, experiencing a live construction site first-hand, and benefiting from the experience of our staff whom are on hand to provide support and advice. We wish the cohort all the best and look forward to seeing them working as fully fledged construction professionals in the future.”
For more information on the Build Salford programme, contact our the Apprenticeships at Salford City College Team at apprenticeships@salfordcc.ac.uk.
The Sector Based Work Academy is an award-winning programme that has been running since 2012. It is a partnership between Apprenticeships at Salford City College, The Northern Care Alliance and Job Centre Plus, and is designed to get unemployed Salford residents who have an interest in adult care into permanent employment. The programme runs twice a year and has supported a wide range of learners to date.
Each candidate attends College for four weeks, where they complete a Level 1 Diploma in Health & Social Care. They then go on a ward placement at Salford Royal Hospital, where they do two unpaid 12 hour shifts a week for five weeks. During the placement, they are mentored by the Apprenticeship Pastoral Support Leader, Sally Ogden, to gather evidence for their files. Sally also helps them to apply for jobs and practices interview techniques with them.
The programme this year has had some exceptional candidates from a range of backgrounds, and so far, the outcomes for them are looking to lead to very bright futures.
Originally from Cameroon, Aimee had struggled with some of her family’s attitudes towards her Aunt, who suffered with poor mental health. Cameroon itself currently has no mental health legislation or emergency planning, and no specific budget for mental health across the country, which has led to insignificant provision for mental health sufferers. In some cases, patients have undergone several forms of torture from healers who believe mental illness is divine punishment for wrongdoing, or witchcraft.
Aimee started researching alternative ways to support her Aunt, and became interested in pursuing a career within mental health through doing so. She applied for the Sector Based Work Academy to gain more knowledge and experience in the field, which for Aimee, has been invaluable.
“Working at Salford Royal as a Clinical Support Worker through the Sector Based Work Academy programme with the collaboration of Apprenticeships at Salford City College and The Northern Care Alliance will remain memorable,” Aimee said. “This programme offers an amazing opportunity to start our career in the NHS. It offered me pre-employment training, where qualified teachers used a flexible approach to help me gain new skills and gain a certificate that is required to work in the health care environment. It has also helped me gain work experience through a placement at one of the most reputable hospitals in the North-West.
“Through this programme, I was lucky to meet one of the best work experience managers ever. Whatever happened on the ward, she was there to play the thoughtful part. It is important to mention that she was always keen to be my referee each time it was requested. Furthermore, she helped me complete different application forms and fill in an uncountable amount of paperwork. In fact, she supported me during the entire recruitment process. Up to this date, like a mother, she keeps calling me to know where I am up to with my contract and university offer.”
Aimee has now been accepted onto a Mental Health Nursing Apprenticeship with the Pennine Care NHS Foundation Trust, and has started day release at Salford University.
Pastoral Support Leader Sally works incredibly hard to support the trainees, like Aimee, throughout the programme and onto their next steps. Sally said: “This programme provides amazing opportunities for unemployed Salford residents who have a passion to work within the care sector. Aimee has grasped this opportunity with both hands and has been very focused on getting as much as she can from the experience. She worked hard at College and on placement and has now reaped the rewards for her effort. I am sure that Aimee will eventually become an exceptional Mental Health Nurse.”
Aimee continues: “I would like to use this opportunity to say a huge thank you to all members of staff who made my dream come true, especially Sally. Sally is so supportive and helpful in a way that warms a heart. I will never forget her kindness and understanding, which can never be repaid. She is a star.”
Arnold fled Civil War in the Central African Republic as a young man. As a refugee, he spoke no English upon arriving in the UK, but through sheer grit and determination, found employment for himself whilst enrolling at the College to study IT, English and Biology. After completing these studies, he was accepted onto the Sector Based Work Academy programme, and has since gone from strength to strength. In February this year, he was awarded the Sector Based Work Academy Award at the Apprenticeships at Salford City College Annual Awards.
Arnold said: “I would like to say thank you to the team. At first, I was impressed by the respect and esteem you have towards each other. The ability to share the great value and knowledge whilst enhancing such empathy and passion. I could never imagine being part of this, I am so grateful, and I feel so honoured. I have learnt more than you guys could have ever thought; the values and confidence you gave me are worth enough to guide me through the path I am going to make.
“To tell you exactly how I feel cannot be expressed by words; you are life changing and an inspiration. The impact you have on people is tremendous. The only thing that I can say is thank you for your support, time, care and love.”
Angela Abbott, CT Service Manager at the Salford Northern Care Alliance, said: “Arnold has gone down a treat. Everyone loves him, and #BeMoreArnold is now the department motto!”
Arnold now works in the Radiology Department at Salford Royal, and with the help of Sally, is in the process of enrolling onto a degree apprenticeship in Radiology.
“Arnold is desperate to eventually become a fully-qualified Radiologist,” Sally said. “He has told me that he will definitely become qualified within the next 5 years and I have no reason to doubt him. He’s amazing!”
The programme has had many successful candidates from past years’ cohorts too, such as Paul Smith, who undertook the programme in 2018. Like Arnold, Paul was awarded the ‘Sector Based Work Academy Award’ at the 2019 Apprenticeships at Salford City College Annual Awards.
Paul is currently in his second year of the Trainee Nurse Associate programme at Salford Royal Hospital. Coming from a retail background with no previous experience in care, Paul applied for the Nursing Associates Programme within the first 12 months of working as a permanent Clinical Support Worker, and was successful.
Paul said “I’m finding, even now, that everything I learned in the Level 1 Diploma in Health & Social Care course as part of the programme, I can use every day at work. By the end of the programme, I had four job offers, which was great for me as I could choose the one that suited me best. The best thing for me about the programme was the people that I met along the way.”
To find out more about the Sector Based Work Academy, contact Sally Ogden: sally.ogden@salfordcc.ac.uk or call 07834 171911.
To be eligible for the programme, you must meet the following criteria:
• Aged 19+
• An unemployed Salford resident
• Have been resident in the UK for 3 years
• Must have proof of benefit letter and valid ID
• Must not be on any other College study programme
The Skills and Post-16 Education Act was passed on 28 April 2022, paving the way for a range of positive changes which will help transform the skills and training landscape, and ‘level up’ opportunities across the country. The Act underpins the government’s transformation of post-16 education and skills, as set out in the ‘Skills for Jobs’ White Paper.
One of the key measures introduced by the Act is the embedding of employers at the heart of the skills system, placing a legal requirement on colleges and other providers to work with employers to develop skills plans. This would enable the training on offer to meet the needs of the locality. The Act also supports improved access for school aged pupils to meet providers of technical education, so that they can understand the broader range of apprenticeships and T-levels available. In addition, The Act will boost the priority of green skills on offer, supporting the growing green economy development across the UK.
Salford City College Group have a strong and high-quality reputation for their work with employers across the region, demonstrated very recently when the College Group were selected as finalists in the prestigious Association of Colleges Beacon Award ‘Employer Engagement’ category. The Group have apprentices employed by over 550 different employers and work with dozens of employers who support high-quality work experience opportunities for students. These employers support fantastic employer designed initiatives, such as Build Salford, a construction industry-specific traineeship programme.
Rebecca Parks, Group Principal at Salford City College Group, believes continuous high-quality and strategic engagement with employers from across Salford and the wider region is vital to the Group being at the forefront of post-16 education in Greater Manchester. Considerable investment has been made in this area, allowing us to open our Business Centre in Salford Quays and secure a highly effective customer relationship management system. “This major reform to the UK’s training system will help businesses access the skills they need to boost productivity whilst allowing our learners the best opportunities to progress in their chosen careers.”
For the last three months, the College Group has been working with local leading employers to finalise a new strategic concept for their work with employers. Seddon, who employer over 600 people in the construction sector (many from within Salford and Greater Manchester) have supported the development of the Industry Partner concept. Nicola Hodkinson, Director
and Owner at Seddon, has been a key driving force behind the concept, stemming from a firm belief that employers must work hand-in-hand with Further Education if they are going to get the best talent they need to drive their business forward. “It is vital that industry work in collaboration with education institutions to develop the best talent for their future,” Nicola commented.
The concept is now ready to roll out, ensuring employers from across Salford and the wider region play an even greater role in supporting the College. Employers will enhance curriculum through input of expertise and resource, they will continue to provide growing numbers of work placement opportunities and help ensure the College has world class staff by supporting with industry placements and mentoring for College personnel. The spring term will also bring about a fresh round of Employer Curriculum Board activity, where curriculum and delivery leaders from across the Group sit down with employer groups to discuss curriculum development activity aligned to the changing needs of industry.
Allan Milne, Director of Apprenticeships & Employer Engagement in the College is passionate about the Industry Partners concept, believing that more than ever, employers are seeing Further Education as a vital source in their ever challenging search for talent: “In the last quarter, we have more enquiries from employers than in any other three month period,” Allan said, “with most wanting to discuss partnerships and how the College can work with them to develop the people they need for their business. This is music to our ears, and what the Industry Partners initiative is all about”.
The Salford City College Group Business Centre, the ideal networking space
Salford City College Group is a leading provider of post-16 Further Education in the UK. The College Group employ around 700 members of staff to support a student population of around 10,000 students per year, including full-time students, adult learners, apprentices and Higher Education students. The College has a reputation for excellence and has won several national awards over the last couple of years, including ‘Learning Provider of the Year’ at the 2021 Learning Awards, ‘Student Experience Award – FE/HE’ at the 2022 Educate North Awards and commended in the AoC Beacon Awards for our outstanding student support and wellbeing services.
Exceptional people are at the heart of all that the Group achieves. Staff turnover is low, and in the most recent people survey, just over 95% of staff confirmed that they are proud to work within the organisation. Central to the objectives of the College is to ensure all students are provided with the highestquality learning experience, to ensure they can go on and be successful in Higher Education or make the successful transition into employment, developing strong and lasting careers in their chosen occupations.
The College Group offers a wide-ranging learning provision across various sectors. The vast majority of vocational provision across the Group is aligned to key economic sectors within Greater Manchester, ensuring that we are developing skills, knowledge and competencies in sectors that are key to the local area, where our students can find employment and benefit from long and successful careers.
To maintain this ‘dual professional’ status while ensuring our people are current and at the forefront of developments within their chosen occupational specialisms, it is vital we give them significant time and exposure to their sectors to enable them to develop and learn. Relationships with industry are essential for our students too, and in turn, the more strategically we work with our industry partners, the better experience our students receive.
Colleagues across the Group have been regularly spending time in industry, exploring their industries and sectors to keep their knowledge current and aligned to the development and trends. Staff committed to a collective duration of over 900 hours in industry. Over 100 different organisations have allowed our staff to spend time with them, recognising that by helping to develop our staff, we can ensure our students are better prepared for their future, and better prepared for the key economic sectors within Greater Manchester and further afield.
Ensuring we have the best people across the Group, in not only teaching, training and assessing students, we also provide vital services, such as learning support, pastoral care, finance and marketing is vital. We have to ensure our people are not only outstanding practitioners in post-16 education, but we also have to ensure they are outstanding in their specific and specialist occupational areas – ‘dual professionals’ as we call them.
These industry days are just a small element of our wider industry partners strategy, which ensures we as a College Group are working strategically with local and regional employers. Supporting our annual skills strategy cycle, industry partners have recently participated in our annual Employer Curriculum Boards, placing employers at the heart of our curriculum planning for the year to come.
Allan Milne, Director of Apprenticeships & Employer Engagement at Salford City College Group, commented: “It has been fantastic to see so many colleagues benefit from time in industry this year. Following Covid, we wanted to ensure colleagues across the Group picked up the mantle again; they did this in huge numbers, and feedback has been very positive.
“We have already had feedback on a number of key curriculum improvements colleagues across the Group are going to make following input and discussions with employers whilst in industry. The impact for our students will be a better-quality education, aligned to the needs of the employers they will hopefully end up working for one day.”
HR Professionals are part of the HR function delivering front line support to managers and employees. Their work is likely to include handling day-to-day queries and providing HR advice; working on a range of HR processes, ranging from transactional to relatively complex, from recruitment through to retirement; using HR systems to keep records; providing relevant HR information to the business; working with the business on HR changes.
•
• Understanding of HR in their sector and any unique features
• Understanding of HR legislation and policy framework
• Deliver excellent customer service, planning and organisational skills
• Problem-solving and working to timescales
• Maintaining records and dealing with complex situations
• Interpersonal and communication skills
• Trust and relationship building
• Handling conflict and sensitivity
• Identifying opportunities to improve HR performance and services
• Truthfulness, sincerity and trustworthiness
To find out more, contact the Apprenticeship Team on 0161 631 5555 or email apprenticeships@salfordcc.ac.uk.
Building Services Engineering
Building Services Engineering Craftsperson
Building Services Engineering Design Technician
Building Services Engineering Service & Maintenance Engineer
Building Services Engineering Technician
Electrical Installation
Gas Engineer
Plumbing & Domestic Heating Technician
Construction Craft Bricklayer
Carpentry & Joinery
Carpentry & Joinery (Advanced)
Groundworker
Painter & Decorator
Plasterer
Professional Construction
Civil Engineering Technician
Construction Quantity Surveying Technician
Construction Site Engineering Technician
Construction Site Supervisor
Accounts/Finance Assistant
Assistant Accountant
Assessor Coach
Associate Project Manager
Business Administrator
Customer Service Practitioner
Customer Service Specialist
Digital Support Technician
Data Technician
Financial Services Risk Officer
HR Support
Information Communications Technician
Marketing Executive
Operations Departmental Manager
Professional Taxation/Accountant
Public Service Operational Delivery Officer
Sales Executive
School Business Professional Senior Financial Services Customer Advisor
Team Leader/Supervisor
Adult Care Worker
Lead Adult Care Worker
Leader in Adult Care
Lead Practitioner in Adult Care
Advanced & Creative Hair Professional
Beauty Therapist
Commis Chef
Hair Professional
Hospitality Manager
Hospitality Supervisor
Hospitality Team Member
Production Chef
Senior Production Chef
Children, Young People & Families Manager
Children, Young People & Families Practitioner
Early Years Educator
Early Years Practitioner
Early Years Lead Practitioner
Teaching Assistant
Learning & Development Practitioner
