Career Pathways: From Apprenticeships to CiLCA and Beyond
with Keira Lake, Nigel Hayes — Finance Apprentice & RFO, Dorchester Town Council
Show notes
In this episode, John is joined by Nigel Hayes (RFO at Dorchester Town Council) and Keira Lake (Finance Apprentice) to talk about the value of apprenticeships in local government and the full career pathway available to council officers.
Nigel explains why Dorchester went the apprenticeship route — closing the demographic gap in the 20–39 age group, succession planning, and risk mitigation — and walks through the funding available, including apprenticeship levy transfers, government incentive payments, and local grant schemes. Keira shares her experience starting as an 18-year-old apprentice, completing ILCA, FILCA, PIALC, and AAT Level 2, and offers practical tips for the End-Point Assessment.
The conversation covers the full academic pathway from ILCA through CiLCA to the Community Governance degree with De Montfort University, making the case that apprenticeships are a strategic investment, not just a cost.
Plus: does Keira ever sleep? Is Nigel worried she'll take his job? And why he's secretly a director at Dorchester Town FC.