Councillors at the next meeting of Nithsdale Area Committee, to be held on Thursday 13 October, will be asked to approve funding from an existing Twinning allocation that could see up to 4 Modern Apprentices taking part in a work experience programme in Germany.
Thanks to our Council’s long term twinning links with Gifhorn and as a result of the 2015 conference which took place last year between representatives from both our Council and Gifhorn, 4 Modern Apprentices employed by Dumfries and Galloway Council will have the chance to work with Gifhorn Council for a two week period in March next year.
Members of the Committee will be asked to approve the £5k funding spend to help with travel and accommodation costs throughout the fortnight stay for the young people in Germany. On top of this funding, the 4 people will take part in fundraising activities in order to meet the cost of living over in Germany for the 2 week stint. So far there has been 10 expressions of interest from eligible employees. A selection process will take place in the near future to decide which four will be put forward for the placements.
The exact occupations of the Modern Apprentices are still to be confirmed, but there’s keen interest from various departments within Gifhorn Council including Sports Coaching, Engineering, Accountancy and Childcare. Our Council’s Human Resources department will be evaluating the placements before any final decisions are made . The successful Apprentices will to share information about their experience with others on their return, to share the learning as much as possible
Nithsdale Area Committee Chairman Councillor Ted Thompson said;
“Our Council is committed to developing both our young people within the region and our workforce. Thanks to the wonderful and longstanding relationship we have with Gifhorn we are in a position to offer up these placement opportunities to 4 lucky Modern Apprentices. They will gain a different perspective on working in a local authority within a different culture and setting and this will in turn add to their employment portfolio. I hope Members of Nithsdale Area Committee back the funding proposal detailed in the report and give these Modern Apprentices the chance to go across and work in Germany for the fortnight next year.”
You can read the full report online at;
http://egenda.dumgal.gov.uk/aksdumgal/users/public/admin/kab14.pl?operation=SUBMIT&meet=72&cmte=NAC&grpid=public&arc=71
