Derbyshire County Council organise the free Derbyshire Skills Festival event with Derby City Council and it’s aimed at students aged 13 to 19, particularly those in year 11 who are considering their options after school. The event is the county’s largest careers event.

This year it’s coming to the Proact Stadium in Chesterfield on Wednesday 26 September 2018. There will also be two dates at Pride Park in Derby.

More than 50 employers, colleges, training providers and voluntary organisations will be at the events, offering the support and guidance needed to help make future career choices – all under 1 roof. There’ll be ‘have-a-go’ activities for young people to test their skills and get first-hand experience of engineering, media, hair and beauty and much more.

Councillor Alex Dale, Cabinet Member for Young People at Derbyshire County Council said:

“We’re really excited for this year’s Derbyshire Skills Festival.”

“It’s a fantastic opportunity for young people to come along and find out about lots of different careers and take part in some fun activities too.”

“If you know someone aged 13 to 19 please encourage them to pop along – last year more than 10,000 people attended over 3 great days.”

There’ll also be sessions for young people with special educational needs and disabilities and young people who are not in education, employment or training.

Find out more about this year’s Derbyshire Skills Festival.

Councillor Angelique Foster, Cabinet Member for Council Services at Derbyshire County Council, welcomed 23 young people who are doing apprenticeships in customer services, ICT, electrical, pipe fitting, civil engineering and transport planning.

During September and October 2018 more than 80 young people will start their apprenticeships with the Derbyshire County Council.

Councillor Foster said: “Creating opportunities for young people is a key aim for the council and I’m delighted that I was able to meet with some of our new starters.

“These apprentices will join 140 who started with the council since May 2017.

“Apprenticeships are a great way for a young person to get a start on the career ladder and I’m delighted that we have been able to create so many opportunities.”

In 2017, Chesterfield was the first town in the UK to declare itself an Apprentice Town, demonstrating its commitment to growing the future and careers of young people alongside business and the economy by retaining and developing young talent in the town in order to attract more employers to invest here.

Derbyshire County Council are involved in the initiative and sit on the Apprentice Town steering group, alongside Destination Chesterfield, Chesterfield College, University of Derby, East Midlands Chamber, Jobcentre Plus and Enterprise Adviser Network.

To find out more about apprenticeships in Chesterfield click here.

Applications are now open for Derbyshire County Council’s health and social care apprenticeships, with vacancies on offer at various locations across the county.

The role includes helping older and disabled people retain their independence and lead fulfilled and dignified lives within the council’s:

• residential care homes
• day centres
• specialist community care centres

Apprenticeships are available to people of any age and could be suitable for someone returning to work after having children, a young person over 16 looking to take up a rewarding career or someone who wants to change career.

Councillor Jean Wharmby, Cabinet Member for Adult Care said:

“Anyone looking for a new, rewarding challenge should definitely find out more about our health and social care apprenticeships.

“It’s a brilliant opportunity to get high-quality training and mentoring that will open up a number of different paths in both the social care and health sectors.

“You don’t have to be young to be an apprentice – as long as you’re over 16 and motivated to support people who need some extra help, we want to hear from you.”

The health and social care apprentices will be part of a valued team supporting people with everyday tasks such as washing, dressing, eating meals and staying socially active. After successfully completing the 15-month training programme, they will receive a Level 2 Diploma in Health and Social Care.

Derbyshire County Council offer career progression for their care staff and give free training and support for those looking to work up the career ladder. They offer extra pay for unsocial hours, 25 days paid holiday (pro-rata), a free uniform and no zero hours contracts. Working hours are flexible and previous experience isn’t necessary, although understanding the needs of older people – including those with dementia – is an important part of the work.

The application deadline is Sunday, 2 September 2018.

To view apprenticeship vacancies in Chesterfield click here.

The Government has announced that large employers can now share their Apprenticeship Levy funds among multiple companies in their supply chains.

Previously they could nominate only one company to receive help from the levy, a 0.5% tax payable by firms with payroll of over £3m a year. Nominated firms could receive up to ten per cent of the levy value.

Introduced in May 2017, the levy was intended to increase the number of apprenticeship starts to three million by 2020 but has led, instead, to a decline.

Ian Bates, Sector Forums Manager at East Midlands Chamber, who’s role includes working with employers and academia and running the Chamber’s annual Skills and Employability Summit, said:-

“We welcome this improved flexibility, it will go some way to widen opportunities for improving the availability of skilled workers, however more wide scale transformation is needed to make the system fit for purpose

“The levy didn’t achieve what the Government intended. Our own research has shown that most large employers did not expect to recover what they were paying out under the levy and many smaller employers don’t fully understand it or won’t use it at all.

“Allowing large employers to share the levy among multiple companies in their supply chain will, hopefully, result in those smaller companies being able to upskill their workers and to recruit new apprentices, thereby securing skilled workers for the future.”

“We have recently seen the British Chambers of Commerce, in partnership with the Chartered Management Institute (CMI), publish a ten-point-plan, to reform the Apprenticeship Levy system, which clearly sets out the asks for Government and for business.”

Since the levy was introduced, Government has twice previously shown flexibility in how it can be used, by allowing levy-payers to include a single supplier and allowing the fund to pay for upskilling existing workers.

The latest adjustment allows the levy-paying firm to nominate any number of suppliers to receive the ten per cent benefit.

Chesterfield is the first town in the UK to declare itself an Apprentice Town – demonstrating its commitment to growing the future and careers of young people alongside business and the economy by retaining and developing young talent in the town in order to attract more employers to invest here.

Find out more about hiring an apprentice and the Apprentice Levy here.

One of Chesterfield’s apprentices will be named as the town’s best at the 2018 Chesterfield Retail Awards next month.

Two retail apprentices have been shortlisted for the prestigious Apprentice of the Year award, sponsored by the Apprentice Town initiative led by Chesterfield Borough Council.

Jodie Tomlinson a hairdressing apprentice from The Lounge on Chatsworth Road, and Chloe Hall, an apprentice beauty therapist from The Therapy Lounge in Hasland, are both in the running for the brand new award after being nominated by their employers.

Jodie and Chloe will be recognised alongside more than 30 businesses from the town’s retail sector which have been shortlisted across 15 categories in Destination Chesterfield’s annual Retail Awards.

Both Jodie and Chloe are NVQ Level 2 apprentices and have impressed their employers with their enthusiasm for their job and the impact they are making on the businesses they work in.

Social media savvy, Jodie Tomlinson joined The Lounge after leaving Brookfield Community School last year and has ambitions to become a stylist following her apprenticeship. She is the ‘go to’ person for social media activity in the salon and her management of it has had a big impact on The Lounge, resulting in more publicity and an increase in business.

Delighted to be shortlisted Jodie (17) from Brampton said:-

“I was happy and surprised to learn I had been shortlisted for the award. I really enjoy my job, particularly styling and finishing people’s hair.”

Her boss, salon owner Rebecca Ward, added:-

“Jodie really deserves the recognition for all the hard work she puts in to make it in her hairdressing career.”

Fellow nominee and former Bolsover School pupil Chloe Hall (18) from Duckmanton, said:-

“I’m really enjoying my apprenticeship. I love being part of a team and doing the treatments. I really want to progress to a level 3 apprenticeship when I complete my level 2. It’s great how apprenticeships combine training and a wage – it’s what attracted me to doing one.”

Chloe’s boss and owner of The Therapy Lounge, Carly Smith praised her for her work as a salon assistant. Chloe is now starting to do her own treatments with clients and the growth in her confidence since starting her apprenticeship at The Therapy Lounge is reaping rewards for her customer service skills.

Carly added:-

“Chloe has put in a lot of work and effort to get up to speed. She has had to develop a lot of life skills since starting but her lovely personality has helped. We’re now confident Chloe will progress to Level 3 in September.

Alongside the Apprentice of the Year title, this year’s Chesterfield Retail Awards will also be honouring the town’s Apprentice Employer of the Year, sponsored by Learning Limited (The Chesterfield College Group).

Three businesses have been shortlisted for the Apprentice Employer of the Year award – Ashgate Hospicecare, Bliss Hair and Specsavers.

This is the first year that apprentices and apprentice employers have been recognised in the Chesterfield Retail Awards. The new awards are designed to recognise and commend the valuable contribution both apprentices and their employers make to Chesterfield’s retail scene.

Commenting on the decision to introduce the new categories to the Retail Awards line up, Councillor Amanda Serjeant, Vice Chair of Destination Chesterfield and deputy leader of Chesterfield Borough Council, said:-

“I am delighted we have been able to introduce the new categories in the Retail Awards. So many dedicated people work in the town’s retail sector and this is reflected in the high calibre of entrants we have in each category.

“It is great to see young people developing their skills and careers in the sector and also to recognise the many employers who are supporting them through apprenticeships.”

The winners of the Chesterfield Retail Awards will be announced on Wednesday 13 June at the fifth annual Chesterfield Retail Awards, being held at the Winding Wheel.

Other supporters of the 2018 Chesterfield Retail Awards include: Chesterfield Borough Council, Derbyshire Times, East Midlands Chamber, eBusiness Works, In the Works PR, JP Fire Safety, Peak FM, Jumble Creative Design, Temple Safety, The Pavements Shopping Centre and the University of Derby.

For more information about the awards including details of remaining sponsorship packages, visit www.chesterfield.co.uk/retailawards