Derry City and Strabane District Council is supporting Apprenticeship Week, a Northern Ireland wide initiative that seeks to demonstrate how apprenticeships work for individuals, businesses, communities and the wider economy.

From Monday April 26th to Friday April 30th a number of virtual events will take place hosted by local councils, employers, higher education and training providers. 

As part of the week, Derry and Strabane Council will launch a new Apprenticeship Website https://getapprenticeships.me/ and feature a number of videos showcasing local employers, training providers and apprentices.

Mayor of Derry City and Strabane District Council, Councillor Brian Tierney, said the week was an opportune time for people to consider the benefits of an Apprenticeship.

“I am delighted that our Council is taking a proactive approach to supporting this week-long celebration of apprenticeships and highlighting the benefits and opportunities that exist for those who wish to earn as they learn,” he said. 

“Apprenticeships can be life changing and a fast and reliable way to get qualified while getting paid in a real job.

“The Council’s Skills team work very proactively with the North West Regional College, the Careers Service and local private training providers to actively promote this as a viable pathway and to create jobs for young people and develop the skills of existing staff.”

Participating companies in the video showcase include E&I Engineering, O’Neill’s, Foyle Food Group, KES, 21 Training and Craft Training.

Apprentices receive on the job mentoring and support and attend training one day per week and gain an industry-recognised qualification. 

Employers can appoint apprentices from outside or within their organisation to be trained from Level 2 to Higher Level 4 in a vast range of sectors depending on their company needs.

There are currently over 1000 apprentices in the Derry and Strabane Area, there were 7,934 Apprentices in NI in 2020 and 1,815 apprentices from Aug – Oct 2020.

For full details on the Apprenticeship programme visit https://getapprenticeships.me/ or email skills@derrystrabane.com. For a listing of Apprenticeship Week Events taking place across Northern Ireland visit https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/articles/apprenticeship-week-events