National Apprenticeship Week!

Published: Tuesday, 10th February 2026

Sevenoaks District Council is once again celebrating National Apprenticeship Week between 9 to 15 February 2026.

This year’s theme is ‘It all starts with skills.’ Apprenticeships are a great opportunity to upskill existing staff by helping them gain qualifications.

Sevenoaks District Council currently has eight apprentices in varying disciplines and levels. These include audit, marketing, managerial courses, property maintenance and more.

Three Council staff who are doing completely different apprenticeships are Environmental Health apprentice Chloe Rose, Human Resources People Professional apprentice, Lois Tandoh and Property Maintenance Operative apprentice, Samuel Westgate.

All three took up apprenticeship opportunities to improve their knowledge and benefit their roles within the Council.

Chloe says: “Apprenticeships allow you to gain recognised qualifications while earning a salary and developing valuable practical experience, with the added benefit that there are no age restrictions.”

Lois says: “I signed up because I’ve always been interested in HR, and the apprenticeship offered a structured way to build my knowledge while gaining hands-on experience in the area.”

Sam says: “I prefer to learn while working instead of in a classroom, and the apprenticeship used many skills I was interested in or already familiar with. I'm enjoying it so far and there is a lot to learn.”

Leader of Sevenoaks District Council, Cllr Kevin Maskell adds: “As a Council, we are committed to continually developing our staff so we’re ready to meet the current and future needs of our communities.

“Apprenticeships are an exciting option to help achieve this. Our staff get hands-on training from Foundation and Intermediate courses up to degree level qualifications.

“From school leavers, people upskilling in their careers and complete career changes, there are hundreds of apprenticeships to choose from, with some courses leading to a degree qualification at the end."

“They are great for developing individuals with skills and knowledge and they can help businesses grow a talented workforce with skills for the future.”

For more information about becoming an apprentice visit www.apprenticeships.gov.uk