Chesterfield is the first town in the UK to declare itself an Apprentice Town, demonstrating its commitment to growing the future and careers of young people alongside business and the economy by retaining and developing young talent in the town.

It is now possible to undertake an apprenticeship in a wide range of disciplines from level 2 all the way through to degree level, and with over 1400 people starting an apprenticeship in Chesterfield in 2016/17 more people are choosing apprenticeships to develop their skills and progress in their careers.  Likewise, with investment in the town buoyant, more and more businesses in Chesterfield are taking on apprentices as a positive way of addressing their workforce development needs.  

We want Chesterfield to be a town where young people, businesses and parents think apprenticeship first and therefore it is important that Chesterfield Borough Council take a leading role in demonstrating the benefits that apprenticeships can bring to both individuals and to an organisation.  

In the last year we have invested over £50,000 in apprenticeship training,  more than doubling the number of apprentices we employ.  As at 31 March this year there are now 26 apprentices working across the organisation in a wide range of disciplines including project management, legal services and commercial services.   

Apprenticeship data

We are required to publish the following data on an annual basis to demonstrate our achievements as part of the government apprenticeship reforms: 

• Number of employees working for the council on 31 March 2017: 871
• Number of employees working for the council on 31 March 2018: 897
• Number of new employees working for the council between 1 April 2017 and 31 March 2018: 116

• Number of apprentices working for the council on 31 March 2017: 12
• Number of apprentices working for the council on 31 March 2018: 26
• Number of new apprentices working for the council whose apprenticeship agreements started between 1 April 2017 and 31 March 2018: 23