At a time when increasing the number of apprenticeships is urgently needed to address both youth unemployment and London’s skills gap, London Councils is bringing together London Leaders and Chief Executives as part of a collective action to boost recruitment of young and diverse apprentices.

Nationally, the number of under-19s starting apprenticeships fell by 53,900 between 2016 and 2022 (41%), while the number of 19-24 year-olds starting apprenticeships decreased by 47,530 (31%) over the same time. Boroughs are determined to play their part in helping to reverse this decline.

At a London Councils Apprenticeship Summit in central London yesterday, Council Leaders and Chief Executives came together to showcase best practice in creating more apprenticeships, including the benefits they will bring to communities locally through wide-ranging recruitment opportunities.

London Councils’ Executive Member for Skills and Employment, Mayor Rokhsana Fiaz, said: “Apprenticeships open up amazing opportunities to Londoners from diverse communities and walks of life.

“Local leaders across the capital are taking action to shift the dial so that we boost the number of young Londoners starting apprenticeships with London boroughs and our supply chains. Through greater collaboration, we hope to overcome the obstacles in our path and see the many rewards that come with investing in our young people."

One of the many challenges boroughs face is the inflexibility of the apprenticeship levy. Mayor Fiaz said: “It is imperative that more is done to make it easier for employers to hire apprentices and help them realise their potential as they enter the workforce. There is growing evidence that government must work with employers to overhaul the apprenticeship levy so that more of it can be invested in upskilling Londoners for the jobs of today and tomorrow.”

The Association of London Directors of Children’s Services' sector-led improvement partnership, the London Innovation and Improvement Alliance (LIIA), which is hosted at London Councils, has been shortlisted for an award in the Innovation category at this year's LGC Awards.

Since its formation in 2019 the LIIA has taken forward an ambitious programme of work that addresses London's collective challenges, including the Your Choice adolescent safeguarding programme and the London Pledge, to help boroughs address rising costs associated with the agency social worker market.

London's boroughs are well represented on this year's shortlist, including (award categories in brackets): Lewisham (two nominations in the Campaign of the Year); Southwark (Children's Services); Hackney and Newham (Community Involvement); Brent, Sutton and the South London Partnership (Digital Impact); Camden, Hammersmith & Fulham, Islington and Waltham Forest (Diversity and Inclusion); Hammersmith & Fulham, Lambeth and Lewisham (Economic Support); Barnet; Hammersmith & Fulham and Lambeth (Future Places); Greenwich and Westminster (Housing); Lewisham and Tower Hamlets (Innovation); Hackney, Hammersmith & Fulham, Waltham Forest and Westminster (Large Team of the Year); Southwark (Small Team of the Year); Lewisham (Most Improved Council); Barnet and Newham (Public Health); Greenwich and Hackney (Public/Private Partnership); Enfield (Public/Public Partnership); Westminster (Technology).

You can read the 2023 shortlist in full here.

Lewisham has confirmed that current Executive Director for Housing, Regeneration and Public Realm Jennifer Daothong will step up as Acting Chief Executive on 4 March 2023 when current Chief Executive Kim Wright leaves to take up her new post as Chief Executive at Brent Council.

London Councils Chair Cllr Georgia Gould delivered the annual Banister Fletcher lecture to the London Society last week. Her speech has now been published on YouTube, which you can watch below.