More and a greater range of apprentices are being taken on at South Kesteven District Council.

And councillors at a meeting next week are expected to endorse this approach.

A council report prepared for next Wednesday's meeting of Employment Committee says employing apprentices helps the council in several ways.

They include increasing the capability of existing staff, the capacity of existing teams and helps the council form links with residents and educational establishments to highlight the careers available at SKDC.

Furthermore, by using money set aside from the government's Apprenticeship Levy, the effective cost of training these people is reduced.

SKDC supported 14 apprentices in 2017/18 and 16 in 2018/19. Some 16 employees also started apprenticeships at the council in 2019/20. SKDC is also currently advertising for a benefits apprentice and an IT apprentice.

Among the apprenticeships being taken currently, two are chartered planning degrees, four are team leader diplomas and three are Large Goods Vehicle drivers.

The council has also expanded the range of educational providers it works with to deliver apprenticeships. They include Lincoln University, Sheffield Hallam University, Boston College and the Open University. They add to the 'excellent relationship' the council has with Grantham College.

The report said the council was developing 'an apprenticeship programme', which will cover an apprentice's first steps into employment, develop future leaders, provide continuous development, and build a 'strong talent pipeline'.

It would see 'four apprentice pathways' being created, covering management and leadership, giving people technical skills ranging from bricklaying to IT, as well as gaining a foot into the door of the council and working their way up.

A number of apprenticeships has been researched and the council has approached training providers to discuss how to deliver this.

The report added this approach would ensure the council used the levy to meet a government target of 13.5 apprentices a year and help the council support continuous development of staff, plus the recruitment of new employees into a variety of roles at different levels.