UPDATE: At the full council meeting the Liberal Democrats presented a substantial amendment to our motion which we found to be unacceptable. We decided to withdraw the motion and enter negotiations with the controlling group to find a way to achieve all party support in our call for more, high quality apprenticeships.
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Stockport Labour Group has proposed that companies receiving contracts from the Council should be asked to create high quality apprenticeships for local people.
The proposal will be debated at the next Stockport Council Meeting on 28th November after Labour councillors Cllr David Sedgwick and Cllr Kate Butler tabled a motion.
The motion calls for the Council to investigate how it can ensure that the maximum number of high quality apprenticeships are secured when contracts are awarded. The motion also calls for all apprenticeship opportunities to be advertised at the local job centre.
Cllr David Sedgwick, who is moving the motion, commented: “Apprenticeships are an excellent way for young people to gain skills and to improve their chances of securing employment. This proposal would use the Council’s procurement processes to secure high quality apprenticeships and that can only be a good thing.”
Cllr Kate Butler, who is seconding the motion, added: “The Council already does some great things with apprenticeships and all we want to do is formalise another piece of the jigsaw to offer more people the chance of an apprenticeship. The Council spends millions each year and we need to make this expenditure work for local people.”
Apprenticeships through Council Contracts Motion
This Council believes;
– That high quality apprenticeships are an excellent way of providing an opportunity for young people to gain skills and to improve their chances of securing employment.
– That the Council’s recent 100:100 apprenticeship challenge was a positive success.
This Council notes;
– The commitment of the Council to promoting apprenticeships.
This Council requests;
– That the Council’s Procurement Team investigates how the Council can ensure that, by using the powers given to Local Authorities under the Social Value Act 2012, the maximum number of high quality apprenticeships are secured when contracts are awarded.
– That a report comes to a Full Council Meeting before the end of this civic year considering if the following principles can be included in the Council’s procurement policies; (i) that contractors are asked to offer high quality apprenticeships, (ii) a proportion of any apprenticeships offered are to be Higher (level 3) or Advanced (level 4) status, and (iii) that all apprenticeship opportunities for a given contract must be advertised in the local Jobcentre.
– That the report also considers how adopting such proposals could be accommodated within the working arrangements of the proposed Strategic Procurement Unit for Stockport, Trafford and Rochdale.
Moved by Cllr David Sedgwick
Seconded by Cllr Kate Butler