Career Grades Scheme process - Transition from apprenticeship to employment

The council offers a wide range and levels of apprenticeship opportunities and may, in some cases, be able to offer a job at the end of the apprenticeship. This rewards the successful apprentice and benefits the council by providing a return on the investment given to the apprentice in terms of training, mentoring and work experience.

Sometimes the transition from apprenticeship to the job is not possible because the actual role requires more qualifications, skills or competencies than those acquired through the apprenticeship programme. For example, job specific skill(s) or post qualifying experience. In these circumstances it might be appropriate to support the former apprentice by appointing them to a career grade to give them more time to achieve the essential job requirements.

Progression within career grades is designed to enable the former apprentice to continue/complete their essential learning and development so that they can successfully undertake the job to which they have been appointed.

This will not be available to all apprentices as the determination of a career grade depends on the resourcing needs and vacancies, structures and operational requirements of the service area.

This only applies to apprentices within the council including Community and Voluntary controlled schools except for Operational Fire Service posts and Teaching posts. The vacancy to which the Apprentice is appointed must be at the highest level of the ‘career grade’.

This will not apply:

• where there are existing staff within the Service at lower levels than the highest level of the career grade. In these situations, where the career grade is justified on the basis of a hard to fill role, the career grade will be advertised in accordance with the principles of this scheme so that there are equal opportunities to apply
• to existing employees who have a permanent job who are undertaking Continuous Professional Development or apprenticeship / qualification training. In these circumstances there is no automatic progression to a higher level job