Last summer Kirklees Libraries recruited two new apprentices as part of a council-wide programme to develop and deliver apprentice opportunities. Julie Peel, Assistant Area Manager at Kirklees and apprentices Hannah Armitage and Ambreen Aziz look back at the process and share their experiences so far.

Apprenticeships can be a valuable and accessible route into a career, and in recent years there has been a push to develop apprenticeships in new areas. Libraries are among the latest sectors to offer opportunities to new generation of apprentices, and CILIP is working with a range of partners to ensure high standards in the apprenticeship route.

Among the vanguard of library apprenticeships schemes is Kirklees Libraries in West Yorkshire. Assistant Area Manager Julie Peel has been instrumental in bringing through new talent by taking advantage of an existing apprenticeship scheme being run by Kirklees Council. Over the next 12 months apprentices Ambreen and Hannah will be writing a regular Insight column for Information Professional, but before that Julie, Ambreen and Hannah introduce themselves and the scheme.

Getting the scheme off the ground
I’m Julie Peel the Assistant Area Manager and I’ve worked for Kirklees libraries for 35 years. One of my areas of responsibilities is for staffing and as I started my career on a youth training scheme I fully see the benefits of apprenticeships and I manage the process for the service.

Kirklees Library service started to look at the possibility of having Apprentices in April 2018, attending a Council-wide Apprenticeship Manager’s open day. At that stage this was a fact-finding mission as we weren’t ready to take on Apprentices, but in January 2019 the new standard for Library, Information & Archive services was produced, and we were keen to find out more so started working with our Council Apprentice team.

Career opportunities
We wanted apprentices in our service, not just as part of a bigger plan to help improve the diversity of our workforce, but to create library career opportunities for new people and give development opportunities for ­existing staff. We were clear from the start of the process that it would be a ­service-wide project engaging all staff, and that responsibility would be shared with staff at all levels. We wanted the apprentice scheme to help achieve a more skilled workforce and opportunities were offered to all levels of staff to be involved in the process.

Myself and another library manager did the initial work with Kirklees Council’s Apprenticeship team to find out what we needed to do to start the process, and, in January 2020, armed with a wealth of information we started filling in forms, finding a learning provider and putting together the information we needed to recruit to our posts. We ­created a new job profile to use in recruitment and were very mindful to ensure the wording and the selection criteria was inclusive to school leavers and people with no previous work history, as well as those with lots of work experience who may have been looking for a change of direction.

At this point we brought in more staff to form a recruitment team; we created marketing material to reflect the opportunity we had to offer and worked with the Council’s Apprentice Team to help promote it. Recruitment was delayed slightly due to the pandemic, but it didn’t stop us, as the new recruits needed to start at the beginning of September 2020. We had 40 high-standard applicants to shortlist from and held video interviews for 15 of them (another new learning experience having never done anything other than face-to-face interviews before). After lots of planning and preparation it all went very smoothly and by June 2020 we had selected Ambreen and Hannah to join the service as our new full time apprentices.

Meeting the standards

Running parallel with that recruitment work, we formed an additional team to plan their programme to ensure it met the standard of the qualification, an induction (including how they would work during the pandemic), and the ongoing evaluation. We started by listing everything we wanted the apprentices to experience during their time with us and matched it to the standard (the team continue to meet to review the programme and evaluate the process with feedback from all involved). Because we were lucky enough to be able to create two full time posts, which sat outside the frontline staff timetables, the Apprentices could join in any service-wide working parties, projects or initiative without their managers having to find cover or worry about staffing levels, and to ensure they had time to be involved in all aspects of library work, not just frontline delivery.

We decided that the day-to-day management of the new apprentices would be offered as a development opportunity to our Customer Service Officers, staff who don’t often get the opportunity to gain skills in managing staff, and mentors were to be ­appointed to support each individual project they would be involved in.

The first project the apprentices were given was to create an interesting and ­engaging ongoing marketing campaign about their experiences and journey with us, that would create interest in libraries from audiences who don’t normally engage. They were given the freedom to be as creative as they wanted in using social media and designing a web presence to enable them to develop new skills. This project has been successful in raising their profile within Kirklees and has helped draw attention to the scheme nationally; we’ve been asked to share our experiences with other authorities, and through this series of articles.

Moving forward in 2021

We have big plans for our apprentices in 2021, which we will cover in future issues. For example, we plan for them to gain the Arts Award qualification and then use the knowledge to plan and deliver sessions to young people with other local cultural organisations. In addition to this, they will have opportunities to work with a huge range of working parties including work relating to bibliotherapy, mental health, digital, Libraries from Home (our own new online programme of events), stock, Libraries of Sanctuary (see Information Professional Aug/Sept 2020 pp44 - 46), local history, empathy, early language development, reader development and many others; some of these are long-term and some are just for one-off activities. The apprentices can choose what interests them and will learn skills including researching the topic, project planning, consulting with our community and partners, working in a team, creating and running events including live broadcasts and interviewing guests, and collecting and utilising feedback and project/event evaluation.

Our aim is for the apprentices to not only gain the qualification, but have a fulfilling and rounded experience of all that Kirklees libraries offers and at the end of their two years with us they will have developed new skills, improved on existing ones and have a vast portfolio of experience. Presently we are planning to recruit at least two new apprentices every two years and we aspire to give them the best opportunity to gain permanent roles within our library service or in the wider library world.

As President of Libraries Connected, Carol Stump, our Chief Librarian has been working closely with CILIP to ensure the apprenticeship scheme is rolled out across public libraries. She said: “I am delighted to welcome Hannah and Ambreen into Kirklees Libraries. Apprenticeships offer a great route into the library environment and ensure recruitment is both diverse and accessible.

“Hannah and Ambreen have brought ­enthusiasm and energy to Kirklees Libraries and the apprenticeship scheme ensures they get access to high quality training and development opportunities, and the chance to network across the country. They have already proved that apprenticeships are well worth investing in”

Ambreen

I’m Ambreen and I’m a 24-year-old North Kirklees Library apprentice. If it’s not obvious yet, I absolutely love books. On a fateful day in the summer of 2020, I received a call from Troy (our Customer Services Manager) confirming I had received the job. I was tempted to ask if he was serious (and I did in my head), but instead I thanked him, put the phone down and screamed (jumped around a bit too with my little boy) in joy. Then I called my best friend because this was the job for me.

Throughout my life I have been known as a bookworm; from hiding under the covers with a torch as a child, to staying up into the early hours of the night as an adult, reading has always been a fundamental part of who I am. Knowing I could contribute in getting teens and young adults to nurture and grow a love for reading was the catalyst to understanding this was the perfect role for me. When I originally applied for this apprenticeship, it was with the intention of going on to work in an academic library after successfully completing the apprenticeship. However, now I’m not so sure that is the right path for me. Having an insight into the services public libraries provide, and the work each individual puts in; I have been swayed to change my career path and accept my true calling at the frontline of Kirklees Libraries.

I would be lying if I said this apprenticeship met my expectations; they have been exceeded in ways I wouldn’t have even imagined. In hindsight, I came into this apprenticeship with limited knowledge, (though at the time I was convinced I knew most of the mechanics of how public libraries are operated... and boy was I wrong!). The vast amount of community work provided for vulnerable individuals and minority groups took me by surprise (you could say it was a real life plot twist!).

As a sci-fi/fantasy geek, taking part in the virtual Cosmia Festival event was an unforgettable experience for me. The vast array of authors and stories brought to the screen to share with the community was amazing. I felt honoured to be part of the process and of being able to share something I loved and was passionate about. I was offered support and the independence to decide whether I wanted to be on screen.

Starting this apprenticeship at such a precarious time has been incredibly challenging, especially due to the fact I have had minimal contact with our ­service users. Before starting I had a ­basic expectation of what my work would entail in a ‘normal’ world, but reality was much different. Having the opportunity to be a part of the radical change in how Kirklees libraries offered their services has been a privilege. I’m excited for what this apprenticeship holds for me and cannot wait to take on projects with colleagues who have shown nothing but unwavering support.

Hannah
Hello, I’m Hannah a library apprentice for Kirklees council. I started my apprenticeship back in September and it’s been nothing short of fantastic. Having just left college I was unsure of what I wanted to do next. I applied to three universities to study graphics and although my places were accepted at each one I really wanted to do something more practical where I could get some work experience and develop my skills. While investigating the options I came across a Library Apprenticeship on the Kirklees Council website. What drew me to this apprenticeship the most was its creative opportunities, I saw this as a great chance to do what I love – graphics and photography – and to work with a range of different people in and around the community.

From this apprenticeship I’d like to develop my interpersonal skills and gain a greater understanding of how library services work. I’d like to have the knowledge and experience which will give me the transferable skills to either continue working in Kirklees or elsewhere.

I think the most challenging part of the first few months of my apprenticeship has been adapting to a working environment. Being in education for the majority of my life made it feel very strange when I started work, but I’ve since found a new sense of freedom which I really like. The staff have been really friendly and welcoming and after leaving education I feel I have gained a greater sense of independence. They have been really open to my thoughts and opinions around the services they provide, enabling me to suggest ways that they can adapt.

Working at Kirklees Libraries is meeting my expectations, in fact it is even better than what I had anticipated! Books are of course at the core of libraries, but I had no idea how much they got involved with!

Although 2020 has been difficult, and the library has had to adapt to a virtual world, it’s still been a lot of fun. I’ve had the chance to chat to authors, illustrators and creators for LAL! (Libraries Adventures Live) and I took part in the Cosmia Festival too.

I have also really enjoyed the work I’ve done for ‘Our Apprenticeship Journey’ where both myself and ­Ambreen have introduced this campaign to document what we have been up to and to involve more younger audiences too. So far, we have uploaded weekly vlogs to our YouTube and social media channels, created displays in our libraries, done some videos as part of Self-Care Week and Movember and I’ve also done a few book reviews too. The work we have done for ‘Our Apprenticeship Journey’ has been purely video based due to the pandemic, but we are hoping to host some live events in the future when possible. The start of my apprenticeship has been brilliant and I can’t wait to see what else I’ll get up to in the future!

CILIP and the Level 3 standard
The libraries, Information and Archives Services Assistant Level 3 Apprenticeship standard was developed to create a gateway into the information profession. A trailblazer group of key employers and stakeholders, including CILIP and representatives from the Archives, ­Records Management, and Information and Knowledge Management sectors helped shape the standard.

Chair of the Trailblazer Group, Jackie Chelin said: “Apprentices and employers can be certain that the apprenticeship provides the key knowledge, skills and behaviours needed to deliver first rate services. The information profession is rich with opportunities for an exciting and challenging career. Whether that is delivering dedicated public ­services, helping people to become more ­information/digitally literate or ­managing information and knowledge on a global scale, the profession is united by the common skills and behaviours you will learn. The apprenticeship provides a ­solid foundation to build an exciting career and celebrates learned experience. It will give you the recognition you have earned and deserve.”

Anyone looking for apprenticeship opportunities should visit the Government’s apprenticeships page or contact the CILIP Pathways team.