New apprenticeships on the way with £530,000 scheme

A £530,000 council apprenticeship scheme has been given the green light by councillors. Currently there are 35 apprentices employed across the borough, with 29 based in housing, four in schools and two in horticulture. Apprenticeships in Caerphilly have been offered at two pay grades – £21,946 and £22,608 – with the majority being based in the building trade to satisfy future council demand. To supplement existing staff, the one-off sum could pay for 23 new apprenticeships during a single year, or 11 over a two-year period. The move will be the first time the council has directly funded apprenticeships since 2011/12 when a budget of £485,000 was made, creating 40 new apprenticeships and four trainee opportunities. The budget was cut to £150,000 in 2015/16 and eventually scrapped from 2016/17 due to ongoing savings measures. Since then capital underspends have been ringfenced into a usable reserve which, as of March 31, stood at £530,000. But the council admit that the sum is “limited” and demand is likely to outstrip the available funding, with potential Welsh Government funding only available for covering training costs – not salaries. Cllr Sean Morgan, Cabinet Member with responsibility for Economy said: “Apprenticeships have been used by Caerphilly County Borough Council since 1996 to enable people to obtain vital skills and experience which can be used to secure long-term employment. “The apprenticeships will also ensure that skill shortages are addressed to meet the future needs of the council. I am delighted that cabinet has agreed to allocate funding towards such a worthwhile programme.”