This years’ social media prize winner, Jake Snell, choose to take part in the event not just because he thought that it would be a great opportunity to develop his skills but also because he wanted to promote the value of apprenticeships to others.
Recognising the immense value of apprentices to the local government sector is one of the reasons that the Local Government Apprentice of the Year event is so important. The event not only provides an opportunity to showcase some of our amazing apprentices, but it also highlights the fantastic work that it being carried out and ideas that they all share.
This years’ social media prize winner, Jake Snell, choose to take part in the event not just because he thought that it would be a great opportunity to develop his skills but also because he wanted to promote the value of apprenticeships to others.
After completing A-levels Jake decided he wanted to find a job opportunity where he could gain experience while also continuing to learn. This led him to starting the level 3 business administrator apprenticeship at East Suffolk Council. Nine months later he decided to further challenge himself by putting himself forward for the Local Government Apprentice of
Year event.
Jake described how he felt a mixture of excitement,anticipation and optimism at the beginning of the day. His positive outlook supported Jake throughout the event, ensuring that even when his team faced some tough challenges, he still finished the day feeling good.
The theme at this year’s event was housing, a topic embraced by Jake. He recognised that it is not just a high priority nationally, but he was also able to relate it to similar work being undertaken at his own council where there is a key focus on ensuring housing is environmentally sustainable.
As hoped, Jake was pleased that he had many opportunities during the day to showcase and develop his existing skills, particularly in relation to communication and knowledge sharing. He welcomed the chance to meet other apprentices and work together with them, whilst recognising the pace of the day was challenging.
“The development and promotion of the work apprentices complete will help shape the education-to employment landscape for years to come”
Having now had time to reflect, Jake said that his attendance at the event has
not only helped him develop, for example strengthening his communication skills in
order to break down barriers, it also developed his social media presence in a professional capacity and helped raise his profile internally at the council.
One of Jake’s drivers for taking part in the event was to raise the profile of apprentices so it was great to hear that since the event, Jake recognises the personal rewards of participating and also feels that the event really is a great way for apprentices to get noticed both within their organisation and also nationally.