Bedford council unveils apprentice scheme with a difference

Bedford Borough Council is launching its new apprenticeship strategy.

And it may surprise you to know it’s not just focused on young people and school leavers either.

It will offer apprenticeships for those not just starting out, but for those starting later in life who want to retrain to take up better-paid jobs.

The council’s vision is to create high-quality apprenticeship opportunities for a variety of individuals - whether they are starting their career, wanting a change of career or are upskilling in their current job.

Its previous apprenticeship strategy covered April 2017 to March 2021 and was then extended to March 2022 as a result of the pandemic.

In this period, the council created 135 new apprenticeship starts.

Although a large proportion of the new apprentices were under 25, the council also provided 50 apprenticeships for people over 40.