New Year Career and Progression Opportunities in Chesterfield

The new year is a perfect excuse for individuals to take on a new challenge and seek opportunities to develop their career.

Whether you are looking to progress in your personal career or an employer looking to develop your workforce, Chesterfield’s training provider network have many opportunities available to you.

Apprenticeships

Apprenticeships can be a great option to either kickstart a new career or upskill an existing career. Undertaking an apprenticeship means you can gain qualifications whilst getting real life work experience and being paid for it.

Stuart Greensmith White, Programme Development Worker at Derbyshire Adult Community Education Service, is currently completing his Level 7 Senior Leadership apprenticeship.

He explains how apprenticeships can be used as a platform to work your way up in your career:

“I began my own career on a level 2 apprenticeship and have worked my way up to the highest level.  Apprenticeships are not only for new entrants to the workplace – they are also a fantastic way for those established in their careers to develop further, or perhaps even make a career change.”

“I am so passionate about apprenticeships as you gain knowledge and skills that not only develop your work performance but also your own personal confidence.  My experience of apprenticeships is that they open doors and provide opportunities – I would encourage all current and potential apprentices to aim high and achieve their goals!”

Nathaniel Hall is part of Chesterfield Borough Council’s communications team and recently completed an apprenticeship. He joined the team in 2018 to complete a digital apprenticeship but has since been promoted to work as a digital communications officer helping to oversee the council’s website and social media platforms.

Nathaniel said: “I was looking for a career path I was passionate about. I always enjoyed media studies in school and college, so I thought this was the best route for me to go down. The apprenticeship helped me develop lots of new skills and gain a thorough understanding of digital marketing techniques. I was really focused on my learning throughout the apprenticeship and that has helped me to progress in my career.”

Search the current apprenticeship vacancies in Chesterfield here

Find more information and guidance on becoming an apprentice here

Employ an Apprentice

Apprenticeships are available in 170 different industries from hair and beauty to aerospace engineering, apprenticeships have been making an impact on local businesses for hundreds of years.

Superior Wellness

Carol Claydon, Head of Human Resources at Superior Wellness, explains how taking on an apprentice has benefitted their business:

“We have noticed various business benefits associated with hiring apprenticeships at Superior Wellness. With the level of growth we’ve experienced over the past year, we have needed to adapt training and roles according to the needs of our business. Apprenticeships have been critical to this – the flexibility of an apprenticeship really allows you to shape the roles and skills required, which in return is great for the personal development of the individual.”

Chesterfield Borough Council

The benefits of apprenticeships are wide ranging to the business, and managers at Chesterfield Borough Council often find that they refresh and update their own knowledge while supporting apprentices through the programme. A quality apprenticeship programme adds value to the organisation or business and will provide a well-qualified future work force.

Chris Miley, Learning and Development Officer, at Chesterfield Borough Council, said: “At the council we use the apprenticeship levy in two ways – to both recruit and upskill staff.”

“To recruit new staff; all job vacancies are reviewed to see if they could be offered as an apprenticeship, this is also built into our succession planning with a clear career pathway onto higher level apprenticeships. We have recently recruited for apprenticeships in procurement and HR.”

“In terms of upskilling, the apprenticeship levy enables us to upskill our existing workforce. We currently have colleagues undertaking apprenticeships in Level 3 Team Leader/Supervisor, Level 5 Operational Departmental Management, Level 7 Leadership and Management as well as apprenticeships in accountancy, legal and learning and development. All of the council’s vacancies are advertised on our website, as well as being promoted on our social media channels.”

Learn how you can get involved and take on an apprentice here

Find out how you may be able to access apprenticeship funding here

Kickstart Programme

The Kickstart Programme has been helping young unemployed adults develop their skills and get into work in Chesterfield. Over 282 young people have started Kickstart placements in the Chesterfield area, benefitting from a six-month job placement to gain valuable work experience and build their future careers.

Connor Preece, Central Services Administrator at Workpays, shared his experience of the Kickstart Programme.

He said: “I chose to take part in a Kickstart placement as I knew it would be a great chance for me to gain lots of work experience over 6 months.”

“As I was coming towards the end of my Kickstart placement there was a full-time position available at Workpays and I knew it would be a great opportunity to take. I submitted my cover letter and shortly after attending another interview, I was offered the role of Central Services Administrator and was very excited to start my new role in a full-time position which I now love.”

“Overall, I feel the Kickstart scheme was a huge benefit to me as I was able to get 6 months of work experience and learn while I worked which was very fun. I would also highly recommend the Kickstart scheme to others who are currently looking for a job and may be struggling to do so as they lack the work experience necessary for many jobs. I really hope to see more people take advantage of such an amazing opportunity.”

Find out more about how you can get involved with the Kickstart Programme here

Traineeship

Traineeships are available to young people aged 16 – 25 years, to help prepare them for employment or apprenticeship by providing education and a work experience placement.

Employers can offer a work experience placement to a trainee and work with local training providers to design the programme. For employers there is an incentive of £1000 and they are a good way of working with an individual before taking on as an apprentice.

Find out about Traineeship funding here