Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service (TWFRS) was honoured to recently be named as one of the country’s Top 100 Apprenticeship Employers.

As part of the accolade, earlier this week (Tuesday 10^th September) a representative from TWFRS proudly attended the House of Commons for a special lunch reception hosted by Baroness Smith, Minister for Skills, Apprenticeships and Higher Education for the recipients of the Top 100 Apprenticeship Employers award.

The announcement by the prestigious apprenticeship index has placed Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service among highly respected public and private sector organisations.

Over the past six years, TWFRS have successfully delivered 145 in-house and externally operated apprenticeships, with results including 122 passes and 23 distinction grades.

The workforce areas to benefit from the varying courses have been accountancy, community safety advisors, data protection, firefighter control, heavy vehicle technicians, learning and development consultant business partners, management and operational firefighters.

Dale Howey, Head of Learning & Development at TWFRS, said: “It was an honour and a privilege to attend the House of Commons to receive our award on behalf of the Service, our apprentices and the communities that we represent and protect across Tyne and Wear.

“To be amongst the gathered representatives from the Top 100 Apprenticeship Employers epitomised all of the hard work that goes on behind the scenes at TWFRS to help nurture the future generations of fire service employees.  We will use this recognition as a springboard to excel and develop for the years ahead.

“We would also like to thank all of the firefighters for their efforts in ensuring they engage with the development of the apprentices, and to the wider Learning and Development team who help to bring the programme to life.”

Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service currently has 71 TWFRS employees taking part in the Apprenticeship Programme, with an additional 25 people starting in September.

The Top 100 Apprenticeship Employers* celebrates England’s outstanding apprenticeship employers and helps future apprentices, parents and careers advisers to identify apprenticeship opportunities at the country’s leading employers.

*Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service were placed 88th.

Lynsey McVay, Assistant Chief Fire Officer at TWFRS, said: “We are proud as a service to receive this prestigious accolade of being named amongst the Top 100 Apprenticeship Employers.

“It perfectly reflects all of the hard work delivered over the last six years as the apprenticeship scheme epitomises our investment in education and career development.  The beneficiaries of this work aren’t just the employees but their colleagues and the community which they both protect and represent.”

Every new emergency contact handler, community safety advisor and operational firefighter is enrolled on to the apprenticeship scheme. This allows them to study and develop as part of their on-the-job training once they start in their new role.