East Lothian Council to create two apprenticeships to help plug gap in workforce
School leavers will be invited to apply for the modern apprentice posts in the council's road services department which will run for two years and pay the national minimum wage.
Despite admitting there may be no job within the council at the end of the placement, a report to council said the opportunity would give unemployed young people the experience and skills to find work once completed.
Setting out the reasons for the apprenticeships, the report said: 'Within road services we currently have a number of vacancies including one road officer and one senior road officer.
'We have tried to fill posts but have been unsuccessful. The two modern apprenticeship 'Trainee Roads Officers' would equip unemployed recent school leavers with the necessary skills and experience for them to compete more effectively in the current employment market.
'They would also greatly assist road services at a time of reduced resources and increased workloads. The 'Trainee Roads Officers' will cover distinct areas of project work across the teams within road services. The post holders
will be involved in a number of projects and will assist officers and team
managers in the delivery of this service.
'This will include but not be limited to producing designs, assessments, reports, drawings and contract documents for Engineering works and assisting with the supervision of works.'
The posts will be open to male and female school leavers aged between 16-19 with an extended age of up to 29 for those who are disabled or care-experienced . Applicants must reside in East Lothian.
Apprentices will be paid the National Minimum Wage which is currently £7.55 per hour for under 18s, £10 an hour for 18-20 year olds and £12.21 per hour at age 21 and over.
The report said the trainees would also achieve an HNC Civil Engineering qualification working with Edinburgh College and with mentoring support from road services.
It added: 'If no post is available within the Road Services team to achieve positive destination beyond the apprenticeship period, East Lothian Council will work with the individuals to assist them in securing employment; within the wider marketplace including both agency work and more permanent
employment.'
By Marie Sharp Local Democracy Reporter
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The Herald Scotland
a day ago
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People should be paid the same to do the same work, regardless of the year they were born. Marissa MacWhirter is a columnist and feature writer at The Herald, and the editor of The Glasgow Wrap. The newsletter is curated between 5-7am each morning, bringing the best of local news to your inbox each morning without ads, clickbait, or hyperbole. Oh, and it's free. She can be found on X @marissaamayy1
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