Apprentice recognised at graduation ceremony

Cannock teenager Libby Wordley-Smith is a rising star at Staffordshire County Council - as one of more than 80 apprentices recognised at a special graduation event.

Libby (pictured), 19, was one of dozens of apprentices representing sectors from health and care to education and engineering who were joined by their families, friends, employers and training providers for the seventh Staffordshire Apprenticeship Graduation ceremony.

Staffordshire County Council apprentices Libby, Megan Millard, Mark Wilson and Hilton Vasey all completed their apprenticeships this year.

Libby is a Database Assistant with the county council and was fundamental in helping businesses get the funding they need to take on their apprentice. She has just completed her level 3 digital support technician apprenticeship.

She said: “I am really happy I chose to do an apprenticeship because it has really helped me to achieve my goals and grow my confidence. I have had so much support throughout my apprenticeship from the team and tutors and I can 't thank them enough.

“It 's funny. I 'm part of the skills team and spent some time as part of the Staffordshire Means Back to Business team. This was easy for me. As an apprentice myself, I was well aware of the opportunities it gives to both employers and to people doing them. It has been amazing to be able to help Staffordshire businesses get back up and running after COVID-19.

“I would definitely recommend the apprenticeship route to anyone as it is an amazing way to learn and develop new skills whilst working in an organisation. I can 't wait to progress here at the council and see where I go next. ”

Philip White, Deputy Leader and Cabinet member for Learning and Employability at Staffordshire County Council said apprenticeships remained key to increasing skills levels across all sectors and jobs, including higher skills at degree level.

Philip said: “We have a booming economy here in Staffordshire and apprenticeships continue to play a major role in this success. Key to this is having a good supply of talented people with the skills that employers need. ”