New apprentices welcomed by council

NINETEEN new apprentices were welcomed to their roles at Warrington Borough Council with a celebration event at the town hall.
The successful candidates will take up various roles, including parks and gardens, vehicle and plant mechanic, office administration, finance and accountancy, catering and information technology. The new recruits have joined the council on 18 month contracts and will gain recognised qualifications whilst working.
In January, the council first launched an apprenticeship programme and took on an initial batch of 26 apprentices. The programme has been extremely successful and it was decided another block intake would be recruited.
Leader of the council, Cllr Terry O’Neill, said: “It was brilliant to welcome our new apprentices. As a local authority we’re determined to lead by example and give opportunities for local people in the town.
“The programme offers people the chance to gain real life experiences of the world of work and gain nationally-recognised qualifications at the same time. I’m looking forward to meeting the apprentices again in the future during their time at the council to see how they are getting on and to hear about their experiences.”
Shaniya Almond is undertaking a customer service and catering apprenticeship at the Warrington Youth Café.
The 19-year-old said: “I used to go to the youth café quite a lot and when I saw an apprenticeship had come up, I knew the people there, and I thought I would like to help out and make a difference to other young people. I’ve always loved cooking too and I like that I can be hands on.”