Building a skilled workforce and offering to help balance budget: Swindon Borough Council Conservative Group Leader Cllr Gary Sumner writes for the Link

National Apprenticeship Week runs from February 1 to 8.

Many students, parents and teachers will tell you that apprenticeships are a brilliant way to gain real-world experience within a chosen career and are a perfect option for young people who feel like they are ready to enter the workforce. 

Earning a real wage while you learn and gain valuable qualifications is a great way of ensuring that the apprentice is ahead of the game when applying for more permanent positions within the workplace. I was amazed to learn that apprenticeships cover more than 170 different industries and over 1,500 job roles.  

Under the previous administration, Swindon Borough Council committed to increasing the number of apprenticeships within the borough through its Priorities and Pledges. Pledge 18 stated: “...the Council’s aim of increasing the number of businesses employing young people as an apprentice from 15% to 20% (an additional 280).” 

We also encouraged the recruitment of social housing tenants and care leavers into apprenticeships within the council itself.

Businesses themselves testify that hiring apprentices helps them to develop a motivated, skilled and qualified workforce. The National Apprenticeship Service will offer guidance to employers looking to recruit apprentices or even expand their existing apprenticeship programmes.

In previous years, The Swindon Apprenticeship Awards, held in the Legends Lounge at the County Ground, were organised by the council to celebrate the positive impact that apprenticeships and traineeships have on individuals, businesses and the wider economy.

Budget

Labour end their second calendar year running Swindon Borough Council with a £7.6m overspend. Their third year is “starting” with a £10m gap. How, you ask? In July, Labour councillors voted themselves a 5.77% pay rise. In November, adverts for 15 new senior managers at £1.1m were spotted.

In December, plans were unveiled for vegetable oil to be used as fuel in council vehicles at a cost of £150,000. By the end of this month, the council will probably ask Government for "Exceptional Financial Support" because it cannot balance its budget... 

We offered to help find solutions and proposed sensible, practical action on how to make a start. For example, setting up a new cross party task force to review council spend over £50,000 before Cabinet approves it. It might be difficult, there may be entrenched positions, but we have to try. Labour refused and voted against us, saying they and they alone know best, and it is what the public voted for in their large majority. 

Their idea of collaboration on a £200m budget is a single meeting with a PowerPoint slide deck. Welcome to a better, fairer, greener Swindon.