Decision details

The Council actively supports apprenticeships, paid and unpaid placements, work experience, internships and volunteering within individual services and Directorates.  In certain areas there is award winning best practice but this is un-coordinated.  This report recommends a coordinated approach to ensure that any schemes apply the same broad principles, deliver the Government agenda and assist the Council to deliver an “excellent” programme.

This item was considered at Cabinet on 12^th June 2013 where the policy was endorsed and a series of actions was agreed.

(1) To SEEK to maximise its social return on investment in the local community by creating, where possible, apprenticeships, paid and unpaid work placements, work experience, internships and volunteering thus enabling more people to gain access to potential employment opportunities in the private sector and wider labour market;

(2) To ASK the Divisional Director (Policy and Partnerships) develop and launch a consistent programme of opportunities across service units and will ensure more effective co-ordination of the Council’s recruitment, induction, training and support for apprenticeships, paid and unpaid work placements, work experience internships and volunteering;

(3) To ENDORSE the policy approach set out in the report including:

·  the provision of support, advice and help to managers;

·  increasing the number of participants in such schemes;

·  sharing of good practice;

·  the provision of consistent, high quality recruitment, induction, training and support processes;

·  minimum standards which can be applied to ensure that all services know what is expected of them when recruiting and managing participants

(4) To ASK Council services to make a  commitment to:

·  identify opportunities for apprenticeships, paid and unpaid work placements, work experience, internships and volunteering as part of the annual work force planning process;

·  undertake an annual survey of activity, to collect data on opportunities offered;

·  re-imburse travel expenses for people undertaking unpaid work placements and work experience through accessing internal support packages; and

·  report regularly to DDG on any issues, successes, concerns.

(5) To NOTE that the Council’s Procurement Strategy 2013-17 ‘Think Local’ approved by Cabinet in April 2013 committed the Council to prioritise Social Value. The Council now follows this policy which must recognise the local economic, environmental and social improvements that can come from each procurement, such as new jobs and apprenticeships; and

(6) To AGREE that the Council will prioritise the marketing of opportunities, encourage applications from and provide advice on applying for such schemes to:

·  Care leavers

·  Groups who are most at risk of long term unemployment

·  Those who live in disadvantaged wards

·  Those living in rural areas

The Joint Strategic Needs Assessment (2012) highlighted the importance of creating opportunities to increase employability. Through extensive consultation with service managers, there was overwhelming support for the Council taking a leadership role in the provision of high quality apprenticeships, placements, work experience, internships and volunteering opportunities. There was a clear recognition that a co-ordinated approach would deliver a better and more effective recruitment, selection, deployment and training service for such roles. In addition numbers could be increased through the sharing of processes and good practice.

None