MP Iain Wright Visits Black Country!

Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Department for Children, Schools & Families, Iain Wright, visited the Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council, a fortnight ago. The aim of Mr Wright’s visit was to gain an insight into the Apprenticeship programmes undertaken at the DMBC in partnership with one of the UK’s leading vocational training providers, JHP Training. Iain Wright’s principle policy areas cover; Apprenticeships, 14-19 Qualifications Strategy, 16-19 Funding, Work Based Learning, Young people Not in Education, Employment or Training (NEETs), The Young People’s Learning Agency (YPLA) Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA). The partnership between JHP Training and DMBC has been running a total of eight years. Apprentices at the DMBC currently range from the ages of 16 to 23 years of age, although the maximum age restriction is 24 years of age. The department areas consist of Reception, Health & Safety, though to Registry - Marriages and Deaths department; all in Administrative roles. Mr Wright was particularly interested in finding out more of the positive impacts that Apprenticeships have they have on companies, and commented on work based learning, “People are deferring employment due to the recession and Further Education figures are up. The impression I get now from businesses is that there is a turn around and they are keen to take on training in the workplace”. Mr Wright met with first-line support staff such as Assessors from JHP Training, Apprenticeship Programme Assistants at DMBC and the Learners themselves. He was also acquainted with Managing Director for Skills for JHP Training, Kristian Henderson-Morrow and Skills Director, Catherine Fisher. Young Apprentices from the Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council attended and confidently talked of their experiences with the Apprenticeships. Mr Wright raised his concerns about apprenticeships being promoted to young people to carry out the day-to-day tasks that are perceived as ‘boring or mundane’ to others in the workplace, but was pleasantly surprised and reassured when he heard some of their views on their apprenticeship programmes. Four Apprentices took the day off work to attend the event and meet with Iain Wright, including the two JHP Training Assessors who oversee the 46 Business Administration Apprentices at the DMBC. Sharon Cleveley and Carol Benson are Apprenticeship Programme Coordinators who recruit the Learners onto suitable Apprenticeship programmes. Sharon was initially an Assessor for JHP Training and became an Apprenticeship Programme Coordinator at DMBC as she wanted to have direct involvement with helping Learners onto programmes at the council. Amy Poole, a JHP Training Assessor for Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council said, “The Apprenticeships are so well structured and Carol and Sharon put further guidance and foundations in place to ensure smooth running of the programmes. The 16-24 year olds are an absolute pleasure to work with and are really mouldable; it’s so satisfying for me to see the transition from a young, inexperienced individual to a young adult! I love working in this field!”. When talking to 16 year old Apprentice in the Registry Department, Stacey Smith, Mr Wright was fascinated by talk of family trees which Stacey gets involved with on a daily basis. Her responsibilities as an Apprentice include reception duty, issuing copy certificates, ad-hoc administration, and booking appointments via telephone. Stacey commented, “I like the way the programme is so organised, I haven’t been thrown in the deep end, instead I have been given some really helpful workshops and courses to motivate me and make my experience easy and enjoyable. I have learnt so much”. Mr Wright acknowledged the lack of jobs in this current economic downturn but confirmed that the economy is looking better with the rise in investment of up-skilling people. The afternoon concluded on a very positive note, with a pleasant buffet lunch with Mr Wright and members of DMBC and JHP Training.