By offering apprenticeships, the Trust is investing in people—whether they are school leavers, career changers, or existing staff looking to upskill. Apprentices are valued members of our teams, bringing fresh perspectives, new ideas, and growing expertise.

Our Trust is proud to champion apprenticeships. By supporting individuals at every step of their learning journey, we are helping to build confident, skilled professionals who thrive within our schools, central teams, and wider community.

Apprenticeships are an investment in our people, our Trust, and our future – helping to Make Christ Known; Making Lives Better.

Apprenticeships provide a structured pathway into the workforce, giving people the opportunity to:

• Earn while you learn, avoiding the debt associated with traditional academic routes.
• Build real-world skills relevant to your chosen career.
• Gain nationally recognised qualifications, from GCSE‑equivalent up to degree level.
• Start or advance a career with hands-on experience and confidence.

This combination of practical and theoretical learning will help you grow into a capable, adaptable professional who can make lasting contributions in our Trust.

Bringing apprentices into our organisation helps strengthen the Trust in many ways. UK research shows that apprenticeships deliver clear, measurable benefits to employers, including:

• Developing skills matched to organisational needs: roles can be developed/moulded to help apprentices build up relevant skills that are required by the Trust.
• Higher staff morale and motivation: Apprentices can support other staff with their work which improves morale and motivation of all staff.
• Improved staff retention: Current staff members can also look to apply for training and development via an apprenticeship, meaning staff stay with the Trust and we can grow together.
• Enhanced productivity and service quality: Productivity improvements, apprentices contribute meaningful value even during training and enhance the services provided by the Trust.

Apprenticeships also help close future skills gaps, creating a strong talent pipeline and offering opportunities for existing staff to progress into leadership roles.

1. All STOC apprenticeship roles are advertised via our partners – Bury College or Rochdale Training
2. Candidates should apply via the methods indicated on the Bury College or Rochdale Training website.
3. Bury College/Rochdale Training make an initial sift of applications and forward suitable applications to STOC
4. STOC review applications and shortlist against criteria detailed in the job description and person specification
5. Potential apprentices are invited to an in-person interview – either at STOC or STOC partner colleges, the interview panel will be STOC employees. Those invited to interview are asked to complete a STOC application form and complete all relevant pre-interview paperwork e.g. self-declaration (of criminal convictions).
6. Following interview, STOC will make an offer to the successful candidate and follow normal STOC recruitment practices I.e. pre-appointment checks prior to making a formal unconditional offer.