Wandsworth Council is set to increase apprenticeship opportunities for both new and existing staff, aiming to boost skills and career development across the organisation.
The move is part of the council's wider Skills and Opportunities programme, which will see a renewed focus on apprenticeship and skills promotion. The Richmond and Wandsworth Joint Staffing Committee discussed the plans at their meeting on Thursday 10 July 2025. The council aims to increase apprenticeship awareness across the organisation, including within Richmond and Wandsworth schools, for new and existing staff, using mechanisms such as the 2026 appraisal process, with the goal of increasing apprenticeship numbers.
According to a report considered by the committee, there have been 404 apprenticeship starts across the organisation and in related services since 2022. These include:
- 210 Richmond and Wandsworth Council employer apprenticeships
- 92 apprenticeships across Richmond and Wandsworth schools
- 18 apprenticeships funded via the Richmond and Wandsworth levy to local businesses and residents (funding contribution £146,513)
- 51 apprenticeships via Workmatch
- 33 apprenticeships via Wandsworth Lifelong Learning
The council also intends to continue its graduate and internship schemes across both councils, offering young people work placements ranging from six-week internships to two-year project management apprenticeships. The graduate scheme this year received over 400 applications.
Collaboration with the procurement team will aim to use social value commitments across the councils and enable the supply chain to receive support around apprenticeship levy transfer. Contractors and suppliers have already committed to 1,642 weeks of skills training through procurement.
The Wandsworth Skills and Opportunities Group (WSOG) will oversee the Wandsworth Skills Offer, uniting stakeholders like South Thames College Group, Roehampton University, VCS, businesses, and local authorities to boost apprenticeship and skills provision uptake. The WSOG's long-term vision is to shape the local skills landscape by uniting these stakeholders to boost apprenticeship and skills provision uptake.
Changes to the apprenticeship levy from the Labour election manifesto may offer more flexibility, allowing part of the levy to fund government-approved training based on skills shortages. However, from January 2026, Level 7 apprenticeships for those aged over 21 will be defunded and must be funded through individual directorate budgets. The Skills and Opportunities workstream will oversee maximizing levy use for alternative apprenticeship routes, with an impact analysis scheduled to assess the effects of this change.
