North Somerset Counci

North Somerset

Jill Cowles

Skills Audit Co-ordinator

With more and more young people being encouraged to go to university, anyone who turns down the chance and decides to be an apprentice instead is bound to catch an employer’s eye.

That’s what Adjua Gyamfi did – and neither she nor her employers at North Somerset Council have regretted it for a moment.

Jill Cowles, the council’s Skills Audit Co-ordinator, simply fizzes with enthusiasm about apprentices in general and Adjua in particular.

“She’s a little cracker,” says Jill. “She’s done very high quality work and completed her apprenticeship in six months, which is a record time.

“I haven’t stopped smiling for at least a week since I heard the news.

“Adjua’s made the most of her opportunities and contributes to the team. She is very adept and wants to do the best possible job she can.

“She’s excited about where she wants to go next, she’s identified a pathway for herself, and we want to help her.

“She has a strong political interest and would like to work on the electoral side of our administration.”

“Adjua is a very quiet girl who is a joy to get to know. She’s been very committed to getting her studies done and is really appreciated by her team.

“I have a son who is doing his apprenticeship instead of going to university. That’s what Adjua has done. She would have been extremely capable of going to university but has chosen this career path.”

Jill says the council’s Chief Executive is very supportive, and having apprentices has become part of the authority’s working culture.

“We’re very keen to encourage young people into the organisation and we’re doing a lot of work on that. We’re actively looking to progress them into more senior roles.

“They’re such a talented group. We’ll soon be working with the hospital and Primary Care Trust to double the number of apprentices.

“Some people think local government might be boring, but there are so many opportunities they’re not aware of.

“Apprentices come with a fresh pair of eyes. They have very little or no experience but they can challenge long-term working practices – and they do! They bring confidence with them and it changes the dynamics of the workplace.

“Quite a few of them are going to go out and talk to schools and say there’s another good route to a career without going to university.”

Both she and Adjua credit Weston College with being highly supportive throughout the apprenticeship and contributing to its success.

“I didn’t want to go to university, which was the other option,” says Adjua. “I wanted to learn in a different way. And it’s been good.

“I found it quite easy to complete the work I was given and I enjoyed meeting all the other apprentices. It’s a great way of learning lots of new things, and the assessor who came into my workplace was extremely good and supportive.”

Weston College