Westminster Libraries

What are the benefits to employers and employees of apprenticeships? Here, we look at a Librarian apprenticeship – and how it led to an Apprentice of the Year award. If you are a would-be apprentice or potential employer in any sector in London or the South-East, we would love to hear from you.

Westminster City Council (WCC) have been using the services provided by the London Apprenticeship Company for five years. They hadn’t employed apprentices before and were keen to make sure that the scheme they set up was well supported and structured. The objective was to make sure that apprentices we’re embedded throughout the Council in various roles would lead to longer-term sustained employment and career progression.

This video focusses on their apprentice Sara Ashbourne. Sara works as a Library Assistant Apprentice at the Victoria Library.  She applied for an apprenticeship because she wanted to gain new skills and to work with children.

Her line manager and mentor, Ann Farrell, talks about how she has found the process of supporting an apprentice a rewarding experience and about just how well Sara has done. In fact she was so successful in her first year as an apprentice that she won Westminster’s coveted ‘Apprentice of the Year’ award!

WCC use the full range of apprenticeship services developed by the London Apprenticeship Company. Read about them here or see more case studies.