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The latest news in your community |
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#NationalApprenticeship Week starts on Monday
We’re celebrating our apprentices ahead of National Apprenticeship Week and looking at what they’ve achieved and what they bring to our organisation.
We currently have nine apprenticeship qualifications being completed in various roles from Associate Project Manager to Civil Engineering Technician.
Since 2017 when the apprentice levy came into force, 38 people have completed an apprenticeship qualification with us in a broad range of areas and at different levels, with each apprenticeship being tailored to the individual.
Apprenticeships allow people to be paid whilst learning and gaining experience. Alongside on-the-job training, they spend at least 20% of their working hours completing classroom-based learning with a college/university or training provider which leads to a national recognised qualification.
Whilst we have previously recruited apprentices, including school leavers many of our current apprentices are our existing employees who are looking to increase their skills and grow their development within Teignbridge. After completing an apprenticeship, many employees continue working with us and some have taken up new roles progressing their career.
Not only do the individuals benefit from their apprenticeship, but we benefit as an organisation as well. Offering apprenticeships allows us to grow our talent and develop an enthusiastic, motivated, skilled, and qualified workforce.
Over the coming year, we will be working with managers to help further encourage apprenticeships supporting them to identify more opportunities, both for existing employees and as a way of supporting people at the beginning of their careers by recruiting externally.
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Series of Making Changes workshops ends
The last of our workshops for the Making Changes Study took place this week.
The study began last May to help Teignbridge residents who'd volunteered to make changes to their lifestyle to save money, improve their health and fitness, and help them play their part in reducing our district’s carbon footprint.
Over the nine months, these residents attended workshops focusing on three key areas – Food and Home, Energy and Transport, hearing from experts on a range of topics, sharing real life accounts, and discussing what changes they were making and what impact it would have.
The final workshop brought everyone together to celebrate their successes. We heard how residents have been composting scraps to help grow their vegetables, pledging to buying only 'pre-loved' clothes and heating the person not the room, as well as many other ideas.
Our Climate Change Officer was able to provide some staggering statistics around their carbon reduction from the changes they’ve made, showing the impact even small changes can make.
The study has shown real examples we can use in our wider public campaign launching shortly to encourage all Teignbridge residents to take steps and help reduce the district’s carbon footprint.
We’ve redesigned our MyAccount to make it more user friendly and to ensure it works better on mobile devices.
Changes include a more accessible format, residents' waste and recycling collection information and a feedback form.
We’ve also introduced a single sign on which means that rather than having to remember multiple usernames and passwords, you can safely and securely link to different services in one place using a single username and password.
Customers can already access Council Tax / Benefits through MyAccount and in the spring we will be adding access to Planning information. New features will include selecting to be notified about new applications in your area or choosing to track the progress of an existing application.
We plan to link more services as the year progresses, so watch this space!
If you have already signed up for MyAccount you can log into your existing account, or register now and take a look around!
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Over 120 people attended last Saturday’s cost of living event which was supported by 18 organisations, including Teign Housing, THAT Foodbank, ECOE, QWELL/KOOTH, Homes for Ukraine, Teignbridge District Council, Assist Teignbridge, Kingscare, Cash First, DWP Citizens Advice, The Crafty Cook CIC and Learn Devon.
South West Water alone spoke to over 50 people and gave away over 100 water saving devices - overall organisations reported more than 240 conversations, with more than 90 follow up contacts planned.
MP Anne Marie Morris attended and made lots of links with local organisations. (Pictured with staff from Learn Devon, Teignbridge District Council and Teignbridge CVS staff.
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Newton Abbot Bushell Ward election
The Notice of Poll has been published on our website, giving details of the candidates and polling stations.
The Town Council election is being held next Thursday (8 February) and polling stations will be open between 7am and 10pm.
Devon Building Control Partnership is celebrating success at the prestigious LABC Building Excellence Awards.
There were seven finalists representing the Partnership, in different categories, at the London event which celebrates best practice, quality, and exemplary standards in construction.
The awards highlight the vital contribution public sector building control teams make as part of the project team, ensuring safe, sustainable, and high-quality construction projects.
To see the full list of finalists please visit the DBCP website.
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Council vacancies
Programme Manager; Housing Collections Officer; Rent Support Officer
Full details of all vacancies and closing dates for applying are on our jobs portal or follow us on LinkedIn.
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With the Government making changes to childcare, Devon County Council has produced a special connectme on childcare choices.
The newsletter contains a host of information on different options and also includes details of some online sessions which will be run to help people understand the changes and the support that might be available.
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NHS pharmacies begin treating people for seven common conditions
The government announced this week that patients can now get treatment for seven common conditions at their high street pharmacy.
More than nine in 10 community pharmacies in England will be offering this service and will be able to assess and treat patients for sinusitis, sore throat, earache, infected insect bites, impetigo, shingles, and uncomplicated urinary tract infections in women under the age of 65 without the need for a GP appointment or prescription.
An information drop-in session which can be attended in person or online is being held next week (Thursday 8 February at 5:30pm) for those interested in being the next Police and Crime Commissioner for Devon and Cornwall.
The aim is to give potential candidates information about the role, who is eligible and how you can put yourself forward for election.
Anyone wishing to attend the event, which will be held in person at Ballard House, Plymouth, PL1 3BJ and online, should email PARO@plymouth.gov.uk or call 01752 398073
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Want to know more about volunteering?
A reminder that Citizens Advice Teignbridge is holding a Volunteer recruitment session on Thursday 8 February, from 1pm-3pm at its offices in Market Walk, Newton Abbot.
Prospective volunteers can meet the team and find out more about what volunteers do. The charity relies on volunteers and trains new volunteers several times a year. You don’t need specific qualifications or skills, but you’ll need to be friendly and approachable with good communication skills and be IT literate. Out of pocket expenses are paid for travel and volunteering should not affect state benefit entitlement.
To find out more visit the Citizens Advice Teignbridge website.
A reminder that the current industrial dispute with train drivers union ASLEF will continue to disrupt rail services until Tuesday when the current industrial action ends.
GWR says it will be running a very limited high-speed service this Sunday 4 February and that some parts of its network will have no service at all, including all long distance trains out of London Paddington to Bristol, South Wales, and the South West. No replacement bus services will be operating.
Passengers aiming to travel until Tuesday 6 February should check before they travel using www.gwr.com/check and more information is available on GWR’s strike page which also includes information on refunds
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Ban on unregistered XL Bully dogs now in force
The ban on XL Bully dogs is now in force making it illegal to own an unregistered XL Bully dogs.
Anyone found in possession of a XL Bully dog who is not meeting the strict rules will have their dog seized and faces prosecution and a criminal record.
In order to safely manage the existing population of these dogs, owners of XL Bully dogs must register their dogs and make sure they comply with set rules. This includes having them microchipped, kept on a lead and muzzled when in public and, to ensure these dogs cannot continue breeding, they must also be neutered. For most dogs, this needs to be carried out by 30 June, and for dogs under one year old, this should be carried out by the end of 2024.
The National Churches Trust: Small Grants Programme
Grants of between £500 and £5,000 are available for UK listed and unlisted places of worship of any denomination for projects that support interventions to investigate or address small structural problems before they turn into large, expensive repairs. The next deadline for applications is midnight on Thursday 29th February 2024.
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