Prize winner Harley Dunning pictured here with Brinley Hill, Head of Community & Digital Services and Cllr Trevor Bartlett, Leader of the Council
Two apprentices at Dover District Council really took the time to shine as part of National Apprenticeship Week.
Harley Dunning (18) was named Creative and Digital Apprentice of the Year at the East Kent Apprenticeship Awards, recognising the future stars of the workplace. Harley joined Dover District Council as a Digital Administration Apprentice in 2019 and has played a key role in the largest digital transformation project ever undertaken by the council. Key to the success of the project was staff engagement and training. With her strong product knowledge, and a confidence belying her young age, Harley was instrumental in ensuring the smooth roll out of the system to over 250 employees.
Alongside practical work experience in one of the Council’s busiest departments, Harley is studying for a Level 2 Business Administration Diploma at East Kent College and Edexcel Functional Skills at Level 1 too.
Commenting on her award, Harley said “I am extremely honoured to be nominated let alone win this award. I love working in my team and across the council meeting many other members of staff and councillors. It’s fantastic to know that I’ve been recognised for my work in this way.”
Dover District Council was also a finalist in the category for Public Sector Organisation of the Year at the awards.
Meanwhile another DDC apprentice, Chloe Knight (19), travelled to Arras in France last week with the council’s Strategic Director, Roger Walton, to show Dover District Council’s support for the launch of the Straits Committee. This new cross-Channel initiative is aimed at reinforcing the links with neighbours on the near continent, with local authorities from neighbouring French, Belgian, and Dutch regions taking part in a programme of workshops on economic development, climate change, green growth, and young people.
Chloe, a Community Development apprentice, said: “I really enjoyed being able to contribute to the new Straits Committee workshops. Part of their focus is to give young people a voice to what matters to them, and I was pleased to share my views on how we can work together in the future”.
The Leader of the Council, Cllr Trevor Bartlett, said: “I would like to congratulate Harley on her well-deserved award. Dover District Council has developed its successful apprenticeship programme over the last five years and can proudly say that many of our young apprentices really do excel when offered ‘on the job’ training and some go on to enjoy full time employment at the council”.
Dover District Council currently employs 15 apprentices across a wide spectrum of council services, including two higher level degree apprenticeships in accounting and legal.
Posted on 10 February 2020