Apprenticeships

Apprentice Electrician Aimee Manifold is in her first year of her apprenticeship. She said:

“I like to learn in a more practical way rather than sitting in a classroom. I’ve already learnt lots from colleagues who have a lot of experience to share.”

Apprentice Development Control

Moaaz Khalifa is our apprentice in Development Control and he is in his first year of his apprenticeship. He said:

"I am an apprentice for drainage but currently working for the Council Highway team. As a team we are allocated assets throughout the Blackburn and Darwen area. We take pictures of various types of bollards, traffic calming structures (speed bumps), trees, street name plates, speed limit signs and various public signs.

You then do a report to confirm the conditions of these assets and reference them from non-existent to very poor."

It’s a very exciting role, keeps you very healthy as you are always on the go."

Apprentice Youth Support Worker

Rosia McCusker is an Apprentice Youth Support Worker, and joined the Council in 2021.

“I chose the Council for my apprenticeship as they strive for care experienced young people to be given the same opportunities that other young people who have not been in care get to participate in. I work for Young People’s Services and I enjoy working with my team wholeheartedly.

The staff in my team took me under their wing immediately, made me feel comfortable and provided support at any time asked, I would absolutely say they have become a second family to me.

I enjoy working for the Council as the individuals who work here are committed to bettering the lives of all who live in the borough, and as I previously said, your colleagues become a second family, which is not limited to your direct team, I have thoroughly enjoyed meeting a range of professionals from other sectors of the organisation and utilising these relationships to enable quality multi-agency working practices.”

Apprentice Electrician

Apprentice electrician Josh Parkinson started his apprenticeship journey in 2021. He said:

My name is Josh Parkinson, I am 18 years old, and I am an Electrical Apprentice. I started in September 2021.

I wanted to work at Blackburn with Darwen because I knew that they were great employers and thought it would be a privilege to work there. I had a lot of advice from people I know who work there and did a lot of research into apprenticeships, and when I saw this position advertised, I didn’t hesitate to apply.

At the start of my apprenticeship, I knew that I had made the right decision. Straight away I was shown exactly what was expected of me and this has allowed me to learn so much in a short space of time.

I have had the opportunity to work with the team organising the Christmas lighting and was involved in the switch on which was a great experience.

I attend college every Tuesday and I’m already understanding the theory behind the job that I am doing.

I know that this is the start of a lifelong career for me and I have Blackburn with Darwen Council to thank for giving me this opportunity.

Apprentice Environmental Crime Officer

Our Apprentice Environmental Crime Officer Lilly joined the Council in September 2021. Here is what she had to say about her experience and her team.

My name is Lilly and I am an Environmental Crime Officer Apprentice. I joined the Council in September 2021 and I am passionate about working and being involved in my local area.

After completing a Level 3 Public Services course at college I wanted to explore apprenticeship opportunities as opposed to full time Higher Education. I was attracted to this position as it is a unique job role that offers a wide variety of work. A big part of our role involves multi-agency responses and internal partnerships, for example, working with the police, fire and anti-social behaviour teams.

The Environmental Crime team is a small tight knit team. I have felt very welcomed and supported by everyone. Being a small team I feel I am valued in the support I can give my colleagues as well.

Working in my team gives me the opportunity to gain useful skills that are transferable to other job roles I may want to go into in the future. I am often out and about dealing with the public but can then also be in the office dealing with forms, interviews or telephone call. I feel that the Council as whole try to support their employees and provide opportunities for growth and development.

After your apprenticeship

Many of our apprentices secure contracts at the end of their apprenticeships like Tim Cookson who joined the Council in 2019 as a Payroll Apprentice and now works in the HR department.

He said:

“I wanted to get out of working in hospitality to build a career in finance. I’d applied for a few jobs but didn’t have the experience they were looking for, so an apprenticeship seemed the best way to go. During my apprenticeship a permanent role came up and then two years later, I got a promotion. I’ve recently bought my first house and things are working out really well.

Here's a quote from Louis Johnson, who joined the Council in 2018 as an Apprentice Network Engineer in IT. 

"Nowadays employers want work experience as well as qualifications. For me, an apprenticeship was the best way to go. There are tonnes of opportunities for apprentices here, and the Council always tries to keep apprentices on.

Chris Snape, one of our HR Trainers who has recently completed his HR apprenticeship. Here is what he said about his time with the Council:

“I joined the Council in September 2019 as an HR Apprentice, welcomed in by a friendly and supportive team. In my 2 and a half years I have worked in a few teams within HR, all of which have broadened my skillset in endless ways.

My managers have supported my progression from apprentice to advisor and finally to my current role as a trainer. In this role I get to support the mental and physical wellbeing of people both in the organisation and in the community in which we work, whilst also always learning new things from the topics I deliver training on. BwD has been a great employer, especially through the pandemic, as I have felt appreciated and looked after throughout my time here.”