Public Sector Leadership Apprenticeship Conference ‘Brings Leadership To Life’ in Partnership with Greater Manchester Councils
In December of 2020, Apprenticeships at Salford City College proudly launched their first ever Public Sector Leadership Conference week in partnership with Salford City Council and Tameside Council. The conferences were a unique development opportunity for managers to gain first-hand access to Senior Leaders within both organisations and benefit from their vision, insight, and experience, with the conferences being the first of their kind.
After the success of the pilot conferences and the outstanding feedback received from participants, the conference week returned in December 2021 for the next cohort of Public Sector Leadership apprentices.
The content delivered in the conferences was developed closely with both Councils and Apprenticeships at Salford City College to inspire excellence in public sector leadership. Apprentices undertaking the programme are in the process of achieving either a Level 3 or 5 apprenticeship, including an accredited qualification through ILM.
The conferences were delivered virtually over three days to over 70 apprentices, leaders, and associates. Apprentices were able to observe their Chief Executive Officers and senior leaders talk about their personal leadership journeys, find out what’s on the current radar from a leadership perspective, gain advice on building professional relationships and other leadership values. The conferences also enabled apprentices to get involved in open panel exchanges, Q&A sessions, and fishbowl discussions to enable them to reflect on what they had heard.
Steven Pleasant, Chief Executive/Accountable Officer of Tameside Council and T&G CCG, set the scene setting the scene with an open conference detailing his recent experiences of leadership in the public sector, and highlighted the importance of people, power, and emotional capacity.
“It was a real honour to attend and speak at the second Public Sector Leadership Apprenticeship Conference, to meet delegates and answer some key questions on leadership in today’s climate and how to be a successful ‘people’ leader. We had some great thought-provoking questions, and I can tell we are supporting shinning stars in Public Service who will become key future leaders.”
John Searle, Strategic Director – Place at Salford City Council, who opened the final day of the conference with an open and honest insight into leadership, said: “Working in the public sector is demanding but incredibly rewarding because you are making a difference to people’s lives and the place where they live. It was a pleasure to share my experiences with apprentices who will become the leaders of tomorrow.”
The final day closed with an innovative session by leadership developer, Rene Barrett, who spoke about new ways of working, resilience and avoiding burnout.
Director of Business Development & Apprenticeships at Salford City College Group, Allan Milne, hosted the conference over the three days and commented: “It has been a pleasure to host and take part in the conferences. As a learning experience for our apprentices, it was superb to see high-level senior leaders being open, honest and supportive about their leadership journeys!”
The participants had incredibly positive comments on reflection of the conferences:
“Thank you for another great session, this has been a lightbulb moment for me and given me food for thought.”
“It was an excellent and rare opportunity to listen to leaders in the workplace speak about their own journey and leadership styles.”
“I really enjoyed Rene Barrett's seminar - she was engaging and very knowledgeable with implementable advice and pointers.”
If you are interested in finding out more about the Public Sector Leadership Programme, then contact the Apprenticeships at Salford City College team on: 0161 631 5555 or apprenticeships@salfordcc.ac.uk.