Apprenticeships

Would you like to:

Be employed by Sunderland City Council and work alongside experienced staff?
Gain job-specific skills?
Earn a wage?
Get time for training and study related to your role?
Study towards a related qualification?

Then an apprenticeship might be for you, they are available for all ages and it's an excellent opportunity to learn, grow, and gain practical skills in your chosen field.

We offer apprenticeships in a variety of departments across the council including administration, customer service, cyber security, engineering, finance and social care. They offer full training, enabling you to become an expert in your chosen field. A great start for building your career.

Levels of Apprenticeships

Apprenticeships can take one to five years to complete depending on their level and are open to anyone aged 16 years or over living in England.

If you don't already have GCSEs in English and Maths, you will need to take functional skills as part of the apprenticeship, which is an alternative to GCSEs.

Apprenticeship	Level	Equivalent Educational Level
Intermediate Level Apprenticeship	Level 2	Equivalent to 5 good GCSE passes
Advanced level apprenticeship	Level 3	Equivalent to 2 A-Level passes
Higher level apprenticeship	Levels 4 and 5	Equivalent to Foundation Degree, HNC, HND or above
Degree level apprenticeship	Levels 6 and 7	Equivalent to Bachelor's or master's degree

Apprenticeship pay and conditions

The council offers competitive rates of pay as well as a range of ongoing support including:

Relevant and focussed on the job training
Time off work to complete the off the job apprenticeship learning at college or in the workplace
An allocated supervisor/mentor to provide support throughout the apprenticeship
Support to apply for permanent job opportunities during and towards the end of the apprenticeship

During your apprenticeship you will be paid for:

Your normal working hours
Training that is part of your apprenticeship (at least 20% of your normal working hours)
Study towards English and maths qualifications if they are part of your apprenticeship
Holidays

There are different rates of pay for apprentices depending on your age and the year of apprenticeship you are working towards:

Age	Year of Apprenticeship	Wage
16 - 19	Years 1 to 3	The Apprentice Rate of £6.40 per hour will apply
19 or over	During first year	The Apprentice Rate of £6.40 per hour will apply
19 or over	Completed first year	The National Living Wage of £11.44 per hour will apply

Hours of work

The majority of apprenticeships with the council will be full time, 37 hours a week.

Annual leave

You will get annual leave when doing an apprenticeship, you will receive the same terms and conditions as any other member of staff with the council (26 days for less than five years service and 31 days for over five years service).

Apprentice Stories (new tile?)

There articles on the internet that we could link to, giving background to some of our apprentice successes

Apprentices build their careers across Sunderland - Sunderland City Council

Council welcomes new apprentices - Sunderland City Council

Victoria Littler's story - Intranet (sunderland.gov.uk)

Lynsey Boag's story - Intranet (sunderland.gov.uk)

Also include links somewhere on the page to:

Apply for funding from apprenticeship levy

Further and higher education, skills and vocational training

Apprenticeship Levy Transfer (new tile?)

Awaiting info from Karen Donaldson