Dudley Council is the perfect place for young people to build a successful career, its leader said today.

Councillor Patrick Harley said the authority was committed to helping young people climb the career ladder.

Since June 2020 the council has started nearly 650 apprenticeships. Just over 100 of those were recruited onto the authority, with the remainder taken on by people already employed by the council to gain new skills.

Furthermore, a commitment by the authority to “grow your own” in the field of mental health social care looks set to bear its first fruit this summer.

The local authority partnered with Think Ahead in 2023 to work with graduates and help them gain the qualifications to work as mental health social workers. Three employees are expected to be the first to gain qualifications this summer, with a further eight also set to qualify next year.

It comes as the council confirmed the appointment of its second youngest ever senior manager last month. Nick McGurk, 37, has been confirmed as the Group Director for Communities and Growth, one of the most senior positions on the council.

He has been joined in the new look senior leadership team by 43-year-old Aftab Razzaq, the authorities’ new Director for Legal, Compliance and Assurance.

Councillor Patrick Harley, leader of the council, said: “At a time when it is more difficult than ever to get a foot on the career ladder, we remain committed as a council to doing all we can to give the young people of our borough the chance to develop with us.

“We have funded hundreds of apprenticeships in the last five years, both for new people coming into the authority and to help our existing staff better themselves.

“Our new initiative to ‘grow our own’ mental health social workers is bearing fruit and being held up as an example to other councils nationally.

“And the recent appointments of Nick and Aftab to senior management show very clearly that age is no barrier to progression here.

“The message from me is very clear – if you show us that you’re good enough, then you’re old enough.”